Scorpio Moon
by lilacfang
Summary: Temari's role as the Suna Ambassador requires her to make frequent trips to Konoha to help establish a stronger alliance between the villages. Her success in politics carried into her relationship with Shikamaru and her friendship with his comrades. They say home is where the heart is, but what will she do when her heart can't decide where it belongs? [ShikaTema][Cannons][Lemon]
1. Daybreak

**SUMMARY:**

While the great war was successful in getting the villages to cease fire against each other, many of the citizens were perfectly content with going back to be secluded in their respective villages. Eager to strengthen the alliance between Sunagakure and Konohagakure, the Hokage and Kazekage began to find ways permanently bridge the gap between the two nations. Being the Suna Ambassador, Temari's frequent trips to Konoha allowed for her kinship with the village to develop quite rapidly, specifically her relationship with Shikamaru and his friends. However, she begins to second guess her new relationships with the Konoha-nin when it became harder and harder for her to look forward to coming home. Remaining fiercely loyal to her brothers and her village, Temari attempts to distance herself from Konoha and tries to make her presence as the liaison as scarce as possible. She would have sacrificed anything for her home and her family, even her heart. Though, what will she do when she realizes that her absence is causing Shikamaru to fall to the darkness that stirred within his heart?

 **Edit (8/18/17): Rated M for language, smoking, drinking, (minor) violence, and smut cause I'm a total smut.**

 **Just a few notes that I've collected throughout the chapters:**

 **[1] This will heavily reference the Shikamaru and Gaara Hiden novels and not so much the anime adaption of them cause I am not a fan of Naruto being Shikamaru's sun. He can be Sasuke's. :[**

 **[2] Slightly crossover-ish but not really. I borrow some character designs from a game. It will be announce at the top of that chapter.**

 **[3] I know this immediately plunges into some hardcore ShikaTema fluff and moments, but it will be a drama. It took me 11 chapters to cover Friday-Sunday of this universe so damn, I hope you're ready for a long journey with me!**

* * *

 **Daybreak**

Temari woke up to him scrambling to turn off his alarm. It seemed very out of character for the lazy shinobi as he never appeared to be the type to rush for anything. In fact, he was the one who told her there was no advantage in hurrying through life in one of their many conversations. Temari hid her eyes under her long lashes as she peeked at him fumbling with the alarm clock, but quickly shut them and pretended to be asleep when he crawled back into bed. He wrapped his arms back around her and let out a deep breath. She smiled against his chest when she realized that he had hastily turned off the alarm so that it wouldn't disturb _her_.

She felt him heave another sigh before he pressed his lips against her forehead. As he turned around and started to climb out of bed, she wrapped her arms around him from behind to pulled him close. Her legs snaked around his as she pressed her half naked body against him.

"Oi! I thought you were sleeping."

Temari hid her chuckle by burying her face into his back.

"You know… getting out of bed is already such a drag. You're not making it any easier," he mumbled through a smile as he scratched the back of his head.

"I'm not doing anything," she retorted. She felt him turn around to face her. He balanced his weight onto his forearm and stared at what he could see of her. She was thankful for the darkness that still lingered in the room. The sunrise was barely starting to peek through the windows just enough so that they could see each other's silhouettes. She wasn't used to being bashful around any guy and knew that Konoha's very own genius would have easily read it her face.

"You don't have to. It's like getting out of a warm bed on a cold morning."

"But it's not cold."

He rolled his eyes at her. "I'm just saying I would much rather stay here."

"I thought that was just you being lazy," she smirked at him.

"Tch. Well, if you're going to bed rude about it…," he said and climbed out of bed to make his way towards the bathroom. Temari sat up and chuckled. She knew he had to meet with the Hokage soon and didn't want to make him late.

Last night was her fifth "date" with Shikamaru. Their first date wasn't necessarily a date, at least it didn't feel like one. They had dinner and mostly talked about work. Unfortunately, that was nothing out of the ordinary for them being their respective village's ambassador. It made seeing each other a little awkward when they met the second time. The miscommunication about the honeymoon for Naruto and Hinata didn't help the situation at all. It still made Temari cringe whenever her mind wandered back to that day. Ironically, their third meeting was just supposed to be dinner, but ended up being more of a date. Their conversation ran so long that his two teammates retired from spying on them from the window. They didn't leave until the staff started to stack the chairs on the tables surrounding them.

Their fourth "date" was with most of his friends, although they continued to act like comrades in front of everyone. Naruto and Hinata had invited everyone out to celebrate their engagement. Now that there was nothing but peace amongst the villages, the shinobi directed their energy into having fun. The teams were finally allowed to relax, they took every opportunity to get wasted like most people their age.

The Sand Siblings were invited due to Gaara's close friendship with Naruto. However, he opted to retire early as he wasn't quite familiar with alcohol nor the sloppy behavior of the inebriated young adults. Not wanting Gaara to feel uncomfortable, Naruto finally allowed him to leave after drunk crying for fifteen minutes. Kankuro and Kiba engaged in competitive rounds of beer pong, refusing the share one of the tables due to their immediate rematches. Because the loser had to take a shot in addition to finishing all the beer on the table, it didn't take long before they were hanging off each other. Temari decided to leave after listening to her brother and Kiba slur nonsense and insults at each other for almost half an hour. Shikamaru walked her back to the inn. They've been working with each other for so long that it was no longer unusual for them to arrive and leave together.

That night, they shared their first kiss. They did their usual dance of verbal insults while laughing until she caught him with a comment that caught him off guard. He hated how she was the only person who was able to do that to him, but knew it was the mental challenged that kept him drawn to her. He rolled his eyes and called her troublesome, as he usually would. When she opened her mouth to say something again, but he captured her words by placing his lips on hers. Her body tensed up for so long that he almost broke away to ask if she was alright. Fortunately, she finally melted into the kiss just as he was about to. He pushed against her into the wall behind them, and cursed the alcohol for making it even harder for him to regain composure. When they finally pulled away to catch their breath, he took advantage of the broken spell and wished her a good night. He shared the emotions that was written all over her face. She looked flustered, frustrated, and relieved at the same time. Shikamaru was thankful that his face wasn't quite as expressive as hers. He remembered feeling so tensed that he had to smoke a cigarette on his walk home just to calm his nerves.

When they met again last night, everything was normal again. They closed out another restaurant with their thought provoking conversations about life, training, family, and friends. Not wanting the night to end, he invited her to the Nara forest. Temari's cerulean eyes sparkled like gemstones in the moonlight as they remained wide the entire time they were there. The smiled on her face gave his heart a full feeling that he'd never felt before. It made him forget about everything else when he was with her. She told him about her love for nature and plants, the "only" thing she jokingly claimed that she envied Konoha for. They continued to talk about her home and her family. No one would ever second guess Temari's love for her brothers, but her stories of their upbringing could have sunk anyone's heart to their stomach. Shikamaru was lucky that even though he was an only child, his bond with Ino and Choji was basically as thick as blood. Most importantly, it was full of happy memories up until the death of their parents and captain. He knew he'd never understand the loneliness that many of his peers experienced growing up. It was something he was thankful for everyday. As she continued to tell him stories about her life, he realized that these stories weren't ones that were often shared. These stories were ones that had to be earned. That _he_ had earned.

They finally caved to the heightened emotions and the sexual tension when they reached the entrance of her inn, which led them to their current predicament.

Shikamaru looked over his shoulder when he heard her laugh. He let out yet another frustrated sigh. He didn't want to leave her, and if he had to be honest, he didn't want to leave the bed either. She wasn't wrong when she called him lazy.

Temari frowned. "What did I do now?"

She sat on the bed wearing nothing but the black long sleeve he always wore under his flak jacket. Her hair was out of the usual pigtails and were cascading down her shoulders. Temari was curvier than most girls he knew. A lot of kunoichi tend excel at genjutsu and chakra control, but Temari was also very proficient in taijutsu. Her body had a little more muscle and definition, probably from fighting with her giant tessen. He knew she was technically regarded as a princess, the same way Tsunade was because of their lineage. However, he learned that the people of Suna referred to her as the "Lady of War" because of her skills as a shinobi during one of his visits there. He felt that suited her better anyway.

"Nothing," he lied.

Temari mimicked his frustrated sigh. She sprawled out on her stomach and rested her head against her hand while she watched him get ready. He had outgrew her years ago. Shikamaru looked like a pouty little boy when he first defeated her at the chunin exams. That changed when she rescued him from Tayuya. He already passed her in height by then and no longer looked like an adolescent boy. She was relieved that his lazy ass was someohow the only one that got promoted. It made her loss a little less embarrassing.

Shikamaru grew up to be quite popular with the ladies as well. Girls approached him all the time when they were working together in town. Shikamaru was "traditionally" handsome. He was the type of good looking that looked amazing in formal attire, yet somehow managed to project a "bad boy" vibe when he wasn't. She summed it up to the nonchalant attitude and earrings that made his laziness come off as _cool_. Temari chuckled at the thought of it.

"What?" He asked her this time.

"You know, you're on Sasuke's and Neji's level of pretty boy with your hair down." It was true, Shikamaru looked like an entirely different person with his hair out of the usual ponytail. He definitely had the devilish charm with his hair up, but there's was something _very_ sophisticated about him when it sat neatly against his back.

"Hm, so you like pretty boys like Sasuke?"

"What are you talking about? Your hair didn't fall out of your ponytail until _after_ I was already in bed with you," Temari scoffed.

Shikamaru stiffen before mumbling how she was troublesome woman again. He then realized that he had another problem on his hands. "How do I get out of this inn without anyone seeing me?"

"Are you ashamed of me?" She pouted.

"No! I mean. Are you ready to explain… us… to everyone?" Shikamaru also realized then that he didn't even know that "us" meant.

Temari smiled, "I'm kidding. No. That's seems, as you would put it, _too troublesome_."

"Well, then what do you propose?" Shikamaru asked as he made his way back to the bed to sit next to her. He slowly peeled his shirt off her, hoping that it was still in decent shape to meet with the Hokage.

"You're the strategist!" He heard Temari giggled as he bundled her up with the sheets they slept on. That was another "secret" she shared with him. Temari of the Sand was not one to _giggle_ in front of anyone, not even her brothers.

"So are you."

"Yeah. Well, _deputy-commander of the Fourth Division_ , your second title was _chief-strategist of the entire Allied Shinobi Forces_. I'm nothing but a mere bodyguard and a diplomat."

"Huh. Well, if we're throwing titles around… Who would have figured? The _princess_ is the Kazekage's bodyguard."

Temari narrowed her eyes at him. Terrified of the scowl she was giving him, he changed the topic. "Well, uh. How many days left do you have in Konoha?"

"I leave at the end of the week."

"Oh, well. Kiba's throwing a party this weekend. Did… you want to join us?"

"I'm not sure if it's really my place…" she mumbled quickly as she looked away and scratched her arm.

"What do you mean?"

"I wouldn't be too familiar with whoever you'll be celebrating."

"We're not celebrating anyone. We're just drinking... Again. I think Kiba has gotten bored of how quiet it's been around here and wanted to celebrate, well, just being able to celebrate."

"But still…" she protested.

"Temari, we all could have died on the same battlefield together. I don't know what your criteria for friendship is, but I can assure you that it's not that complicated for us here in Konoha."

"Alright, alright. I'll stop by then," Temari said, returning the smile he was giving her. "So, is that the next time I'll see you then?"

 _Hopefully not_ was what Shikamaru wanted to say. However, that was not the way they communicated with each other. He just smirked and said, "I might see you tonight _if_ you're lucky."

"Oh? And where do I have to go in order to get lucky?"

Her witty attitude made him smile. "The barbeque joint."

"Eh?"

"You might get lucky there."

"Oh! They have their special seafood menu tonight. How lucky indeed." She was half joking. Like most girls, she was _always_ ready to eat.

"Tch. Troublesome woman," Shikamaru smirked. He reached for one of Temari's hair tie that was on the nightstand. "Mine is nowhere to be found since you tore it out of my hair last night. I'm taking yours."

"Hey! I only wear two of those now!"

"Should have thought of that before ripping mine off," he mumbled with the hair tie in mouth as he started to gather his hair into his usual ponytail. With his eyes closed, he failed to notice Temari sneaking up behind him. The hair tie fell out of his mouth when he felt her lips kiss the back of his ear.

"Should have thought of that before you did this to make me squirm last night," Temari whispered before biting his ear lobe. She sat back down on the bed as she watched him continue to fumble with his hair in a frustrated state.

"I guess I keep more of those on me now that we're _sharing,_ " Temari said and rolled her eyes.

Shikamaru didn't respond. Turning his back to her, he sat at the edge of her bed brought his foot up to rest on his opposite knee.

"Do you think Ino and Sai share crop tops the way we will share hair ties?" Temari joked.

Normally, Shikamaru would have laughed at the mental image of Sai borrowing Ino's clothes. However, he continued to remain silent, causing her to crawl over next to him in order to inspect his face.

"Are you… napping? Don't you have to go?"

"I need a moment," he grumbled in frustration.

She blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Just give me a minute."

Temari looked at him in confusion. She blushed when she finally understood what he was talking about and started to laugh.

Shikamaru opened his eyes to glare at her, only to see her kneeling over the bed with the sheets barely hanging on to her body. "Okay. You in that position is _not_ helping." Knowing that he would never make it out of her room if he stayed another minute, he threw on his flak jacket turned to leave.

"See you." Temari said briefly as she curled back under the sheets.

"If you're lucky," he winked back at her before closing the door.

* * *

Tell me what you like and what you don't like. I'll take any critic as it'll help me brainstorm and prevent writer's block!


	2. Scorpio Moon

I use a mix the subbed and dubbed anime terms wherever it fits. *shrugs*

This chapter is focused on the female characters and the development of their friendship. I'm still very bitter with how Kishi handled them in the series (I know, he's aware that he sucks at writing girls). How are you going to make such lovable characters (including the guys) and SHELF half of them?!

[1]I also threw in some astrology bits for fun with the risk of it being completely confusing. It was hard be thorough about it without completely taking away from the story. The bit that Ino's will read from her book was completely yanked off a website. Credit goes to ganeshaspeaks.

* * *

 **Scorpio Moon**

The wind carried a crisp, earthy scent to Temari's nose as it drifted over her skin. She rolled over into the pillow next to her and drew in a deep breath. The scent reminded her of a pine forest after a rain storm, with just a trace of warm cedar wood. At least that was the imagery that formed in her head last night when she had her face buried deep in Shikamaru's neck to muffle her sighs.

Shikamaru was very perceptive to anything that caused Temari to stir underneath him, as one would expect from a skilled strategist. He took his time when he explored every inch of her skin. His touch was slow and firm, and he always lingered at the spots that triggered a strong reaction from her. Temari ran her fingers against her nape. The indentation from Shikamaru's teeth had finally disappeared, but she felt the small, raised bumps that formed in its place. Bite marks were the _last_ thing she had expected from Shikamaru Nara, but that wouldn't be the first time he's ever caught her off guard. She recalled the feeling of his smile against her neck right before he bit her. The harder she squirmed, the harder he sank his teeth into her skin. He only released her because her whimpers grew too loud for the inn's thin walls.

Temari peeled herself out to bed to examine the wound on her neck. It only looked like a small scruff that would go unnoticed unless she pointed it out. She sighed in relief and walked towards the bathroom to wash off the remaining evidence of their night together.

She grabbed her last hair tie off the night stand after she had finished drying off. Pulling her hair into a high ponytail, she looked at herself in the mirror to determine whether or not it suited her. Temari always wore her hair in four pigtails because it was the only style that kept her hair in place when would she summoned the wind. She decided to grow out her hair and wore them in two pigtails because she no longer found herself in battles outside of training. After settling for a loose bun for her hair, she went to put on clean kimono. As Gaara's bodyguard, most of her days were spent in long meetings. She reverted back to her old black kimono as she found it to be a lot more formal and comfortable compared to her usual chest plate. However, she continued to wear mesh armor underneath and always carried her tessen. Just in case.

The crowded streets of Konoha greeted Temari when she finally emerged from the inn. Sleeping in was a foreign concept for her. She was more familiar with the stillness of the mornings when she would start her day. She began to make her way through the crowd to towards the market street, but barely made around the corner when she heard a familiar voice call her name.

"Temari-san!"

Temari turned in the direction of the voice to see Ino and Sakura waving at her. She waved back and walked over to greet the girls.

"Oh! Are you trying a new hair style?" Ino asked as she circled around Temari.

"This? Oh. My other hair tie broke. I was on my way to get more," she partially lied.

"The bun suits you! It looks very elegant," Sakura complimented with a smile. "Where are you heading to, Temari-san? Do you have meetings with the Hokage today?"

"No, we're scheduled to meet once more on Sunday before I leave. I'm just running errands today."

"Would you like to join us for lunch?!" Ino asked. She jumped at the opportunity to get to know the only girl Shikamaru ever confided to her about. Even though Temari was the frequent topic in their conversations, she still remained a mystery to anyone who wasn't involved in the Hokage's political affairs because her duties as a diplomat always kept her busy.

"Well…" Temari began, shifting her eyes upwards as if they could dig in her mind for an excuse. She still wasn't too familiar with either of the girls.

"C'mon. We insist! We've always met as shinobi, but never got to hang out as just girls."

"Alright. Sure." Temari smiled and shrugged. She invited the opportunity to be around other women for once. Female companionship was nonexistent for her ever since she stopped playing with Yome and Sen as a child back in Sunagakure. Her entire life revolved around Gaara, war, and politics. She often felt guilty that she never had time to be a proper friend to Matsuri and Yukata either, even though they were more than understanding of her priorities as the Kazekage's bodyguard.

Cold soba noodles appeared to be the popular pick that afternoon due to the usually hot temperature. They stood by the host and searched the busy restaurant for an open table. Once they were seated, Ino and Sakura took turns asking Temari about her visit. Temari knew the girls were trying to be nice, but small talk always made her uncomfortable. It always felt too forced.

The awkward tension carried on after the girls placed their orders. Picking up on Temari's discomfort, Ino pulled out her astrology book to talk about something lighthearted and fun. She began by talking about her relationship with Sai to break the ice. Ino shared how she was afraid that they were too different to be compatible, and how their charts seemed to reinforced that.

"Ino, do you really want to be with someone who's exactly like you? Wouldn't that get boring?" Sakura asked.

"It's just that sometimes I feel I'm overwhelming him because I always have to explain myself him."

"I believe that's what Sai likes about you. He is fascinated with learning about how people interact with one another. I can't think of anyone more perfect than you to teach him that. You have a talent for reading people and you're the most empathetic person I know," Sakura said. She placed her hand on Ino's arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze, "Trust me, I know my teammate."

Ino stared at her longtime friend while she processed her words. She wasn't expecting such an honest answer about her relationship.

"Thank you, Sakura. I never thought of it that way. I think you just lifted a huge weight off my shoulders," Ino said. However, it wouldn't be their friendship without a friendly fire. "Too bad we can't shift that weight to your chest," Ino managed to slip before Sakura could return her smile.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at Ino as her nails into the arm that was still in her hand.

"Ow! Alright! I'm sorry! Geez."

Sakura rolled her eyes and released Ino's arm before turning to ask Temari, "Temari-san, when were you born?"

"August 23rd."

"You're a Virgo too then! So is Shikamaru," Ino squealed. "A Virgo is loyal, analytical, hardworking, and practical. However, they-"

"They can worry too much and be overly critical of themselves and others. They're all work and no play. I know. The elder women in Suna were always reading into that. There were days where they would forbid me from opening a window if it faced a certain direction. Superstitions can be incredibly annoying," Temari answered, her eyes closed as she rested her chin against her hand. She never believed in astrology because she felt there were a ton of Virgo traits that never applied to her.

"It says here that you have a lot of Capricorn in your chart, and a Moon in Scorpio," Ino said.

Temari opened the eye that was facing Ino to look at her and teased, "I'm pretty sure my moons are on my tessen. Would you like to see them?"

"C'mon Temari, just give it a chance and then you can tell me if you think it's all bullshit afterwards."

"Fine. Educate me then."

"Well, astrology is not as black and white as most people think it is. You have more than just one sign. People are often familiar with their sun sign. A lot of people, just like you, don't feel like they identify with their sun sign because they're unaware they actually have planets in other signs. The other planets, such as the the Moon, Venus, or Mars for example, also contribute to your character," Sakura explained.

"The moon isn't a planet. Moons orbit their planet. You can say it's like a natural satellite." Temari said and flashed them a grin.

Ino groaned. Of course Shikamaru would pick someone who had his dry sense of humor.

Sakura ignored her and continued, "The Moon represents out deepest personal needs, our basic habits and reactions, and how we instinctively react or how we emotionally respond to our problems."

"With the moon in Scorpio," Ino began to read from her book. "These individuals are extremely passionate and brave. In a weird way and within a short time frame, these individuals can assess a person or a situation. As they often have a mastery over reading the intricacies of human mind, analysis done by them is always accurate. These individuals nurture a high degree of ambition in them and usually they are smart enough. In the pursuit of acquiring their aspirations, they work inexhaustibly. In other words, through their persistent determination and stubbornness, they will obtain their set goals. They will not accept defeat easily as they have an awesome fighting spirit[1]."

"That was definitely my first impression of you from the chunin exams. You were quite scary, but impressive." Sakura said, laughing nervously. "Can you relate to this a little more when you combine it with traits of a Virgo?"

"Thanks, and maybe a little…"

Sakura placed a comforting hand on Temari's shoulder and chuckled. It became very apparent that Temari never had the opportunity to indulge in trivial, yet fun things like astrology as a young girl like her and Ino did.

Ino started to laugh with the two women in front of her when two familiar faces caught her eye. She waved and called out to them, "Hinata! Tenten!"

Tenten looked in the direction of the voice. Her eyes lit up when she saw her friends. She grabbed Hinata's hand and made her way towards their table while Sakura notified their waiter of their additional guests.

"Looks like the entire town is trying to cool off with cold noodles today," Tenten said as sat herself in the chair next to Ino.

"Yeah. We're trying to teach Temari about her astrology chart while we wait." Sakura winked.

"Oh! That was so much when we did it for Naruto and Hinata. What have you found out so far?"

"Virgo with a lot of Capricorn and a Scorpio Moon." Ino said. She passed Tenten her book and pointed to page she was on.

Tenten's eyes darted between the book and Temari. "I see it."

"And I see _that_!" Ino gasped as she reached for Hinata's left hand. "Is this the ring Naruto got for you?!"

Hinata blushed and nodded. Naruto had originally proposed to her with a napkin ring during a picnic date. It was a romantic gesture that occurred in the spur of the moment. She treasured that napkin ring and kept it as a keepsake. However, their friends teased him relentlessly about the lack of a real engagement ring for Hinata for months after the exciting news of their engagement died down. Even though the jokes were made in good spirits, Naruto became even more determined to find Hinata the perfect ring.

"I just picked it up from being sized," Hinata explained as Sakura and Ino continued to fawn over the diamonds on her finger. The ring bore a small platinum band that was adorned with tiny diamonds. However, the large lotus flower that bloomed on top of it almost looked out of place on Hinata's slender fingers. In the center of the diamond encrusted petals was an even larger diamond that was about the same size as the eraser on a pencil.

"Man, that boy outdid himself to shut us up. You guys need to give Sai a hard time once proposes to me," Ino joked.

"The war is over and he _still_ found a way to blow us out of the water." Sakura sighed and smiled. The ring somehow managed to be over the top, yet perfect at the same time. She couldn't help but feel proud of Naruto.

"You guys got engaged _so_ young. How did he manage to pull off a ring like that?!" Ino huffed and crossed her arms.

"I'm sure saving the village a few times can get you some pretty cool connections and perks." Tenten laughed. The other girls laughed with her as they settled back into their seats.

"Waiter! A bottle of Yamazaki 12, please!" Ino called across the restaurant.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?" Sakura questioned her best friend.

" _We_ are celebrating."

"It's barely half past noon!"

"We were just praying that Naruto wouldn't mess up on Hinata's ring the other day, and he went and did the complete opposite. Isn't that enough reason to celebrate?"

"Maybe with a glass of champagne, but not a bottle of whiskey!" Sakura continued. "Besides, that bottle is worth over a hundred bucks! Who knows how much the restaurant is going to mark it up."

"Don't worry," Temari finally chimed in. "Consider it an early engagement gift from me."

"Temari-san!" Sakura was surprised at the kunoichi's willingness to drink. "I've only seen you drink a beer or two at most the past few times we were all together."

"That's because I'm Gaara's personal bodyguard. I have to stay coherent at all times," Temari said. "However, Gaara's not here. I'm off duty this visit."

In truth, Temari was quite the seasoned drinker. Although she hid it well, Temari has fell victim to over indulging with alcohol multiple times in her life. She began drinking a few years after the chunin exams. Not wanting to disrupt their newfound happiness, she never shared with anyone how witnessing Gaara's pain and loneliness all those years left open wounds on her heart. It hurt her every time she was forced to leave Gaara all alone. She couldn't even begin to describe to her pain when she witnessed his transformation into Shukaku, or the terror every time Gaara was kidnapped by those who sought the after the beast inside him. Her heart broke when she saw Kankuro on the verge of death, and again when she found out that Gaara was barely lucky enough to _come back_ from death. She already lost her mother at a young age and detested her father for treating Gaara like an abomination. Alcohol helped her sleep through rough nights, which allowed her to wake up to a new day and make up for lost time with her brothers. Shikamaru was the only person she shared her childhood with, but she hid her pain when she told him her stories.

Fortunately, Temari found herself drinking for fun rather than to using it as a means to cope with her inner demons since the war ended. While people with internal conflict tend to be sad or angry drunks, Temari ironically was an aggressive, but happy drunk. She was able to drop her guard just enough to cherish the good times.

"I'll pay for the other half then," Ino winked at Temari. She then requested for chasers from the waiter as he delivered the bottle of whiskey and five old-fashioned glasses.

"Ino! You don't _shoot_ Yamazaki whiskey! That's why they didn't bring out shot glasses, it's meant to be _sipped_ ," Tenten scolded her.

"Tenten, look at that thing that's on Hinata's finger," Ino began. "We are going to take shots of this hundred-something bottle of whiskey, _and then_ we can sip on it in between those shots."

Tenten gave her a defeated sigh as she covered her face with her palm, "Oh, Ino."

Ino gave Tenten a thumbs-up and began to pour the shots. She grabbed a chaser as soon as their waiter dropped them off and raised her glass in the air for a toast, "To Hinata and Naruto, may your future be as bright as that fat rock on your finger! Kaaampai!"

"Kampai!" The other girls raised their glasses to meet Ino's for a cheers before downing the liquor.

"Damn it! That burns!" Ino winced.

"Because it's meant to be _sipped_ ," Tenten teased again.

"I swear, Tenten. Say ' _sipped_ ' one more time," Ino threatened as she wagged a finger at her.

"I thought I heard my name! Hey, were you guys talking about me?!"

All the girls except Temari turned to see Naruto standing behind Hinata as his friends trailed in behind him from the entrance. Temari kept her eyes on her drink, but laughed from under her breath at Naruto's sudden outburst. She swirled last few drops of whiskey around in her glass when a familiar presence caused her to finally look up, directly into the eyes of Shikamaru Nara.

* * *

I really love Ino. She looks like she would be the instigator a group of girls. She had a badass mind controlling jutsu and they either shoved her behind a tree half the time. Don't even get me started on Tenten. ;_;

The fanart of Team Guy on pinterest breaks my heart. All these pics of Neji's ghost, whyyyyyyy. So, in my alternative universe, he's alive and will be making an appearance.

Sorry, I'm currently watching the series again. Shika and Tema (and Gaara) are my biases, but Team Guy has a special pocket in my heart. Anyway...

Maybe extra smut next time. Idk. I swear I rewrote this chapter 10 different ways. I'm tired of looking it this chapter to be honest. Hahahaha.

 **Stay tuned!**


	3. Detective Kiba

**Detective Kiba**

Standing there with his hands in his pockets, Shikamaru kept his eyes on Temari while the rest of the shinobi joined the commotion around Naruto. His face remained cool and collected, but Temari caught the subtle smile that was curled up in the corner of his lips. He raised an eyebrow at her, questioning the predicament he had found her in. That was the first time he'd ever seen her leisurely interact with the girls. Quick to decipher his curious expression, Temari just shrugged back at him.

With the smirk still on his face, he lowered his eyelids at her. The way he looked at made her tensed up. It was the same way he looked at her last night during their tug-of-war for control. Shikamaru treated sex with Temari like a game, and he played her very well. Even in bed, they were still polar opposites. Shikamaru moved very slow and sensually, as if every touch had a purpose. Temari, however, was very impulsive. His patience gave him the upper hand, allowing him to taunt her until her body was burning with anticipation. Feeling the heat rising to the surface of her skin again, Temari was thankful for the interruption that occurred next.

"No one's talking about you. You're not that important, Naruto!" Sakura stuck her tongue out at him.

"Yeah, right! I heard my name!"

Sakura continued to glare at him for few seconds before breaking into a fit of laughter. "Okay. Calm down," she began. "We were just giving you credit for the ring you chose for Hinata."

"Oh," Naruto relaxed and started to laugh in unison with her. He wrapped his good arm around Hinata, who still blushed whenever he'd touched her. "Well, that was all thanks to you. You told me hold out until I saw the ring I felt represented Hinata best!"

Sakura was elated. She cupped her face in her hands and squealed, "I've taught you well, Naruto!"

Naruto continued smiling at her until he saw the whiskey bottle on their table. "Yamazaki?! What are we celebrating?"

"Sorry, Naruto. _We_ ," Ino said, pointing to the girls. "—are celebrating. But next time, I promise! We want to talk about, well you know, girl stuff."

"Are you suddenly too cool to hang out with us, Ino?" Choji whined between handfuls of potato chips.

"You're welcomed to join our conversation about the grueling diet we have to go on in order to look ah-mazing in our bridesmaid dresses," Ino said as she dramatically flipped her hair back. She knew exactly how to get Choji disinterested in something.

"Nope. I'm good," Choji said, making his way across the crowded restaurant to the table that was being prepared for them.

"I'll pass on that too," Kiba said. "But I expect to see you ladies at my party tomorrow!"

"We'll be there," Tenten promised and winked.

"Yo! Feisty lady," Kiba turned and pointed to Temari. "You're coming too. Tell your brother he owes me a rematch for cheating in beer pong last time."

"Gaara and Kankuro aren't in town, but I'll relay the message for you." Temari replied, setting her empty glass on a coaster before looking up at him.

"Damn. Alright, well. I better see you still," Kiba flash her a sheepish grin. He gave Shikamaru's back a hard smack as he turned to walk away with Shino and Akamaru trailing behind him. A waiter chased after them, stuttering something about animals being prohibited indoors.

While Shikamaru stood there trying to process what just happened, Lee marched up to Temari and saluted her. "Temari-sama."

"Temari is fine," she corrected him.

"You are the Kazekage's sister, Temari-sama. I apologize, but I insist that I address you properly!" Lee said, still in his stance. Temari ran her fingers through her bangs and sighed at his formality.

"Why isn't Gaara-sama with you?" Lee continued to ask her.

Naruto echoed Lee's question. "Yeah, where is he hiding? I didn't see him at the Hokage's office!"

Temari couldn't help but smile. She found Naruto's friendly rivalry and Lee's adulation for her brother very endearing. It made her happy to see Gaara's compassion for the people in his life being reciprocated. "Well," Temari began to explain. "He's a Kage, so he's very busy doing 'Kage' things. You know, like running our village for example."

Naruto flinched in jealousy at first, but quickly smiled with enthusiasm and said, "If he can't come to us, then we'll bring the party to Suna next time!"

"Yes! Great idea, Naruto! Gaara must be included in our merry festivities! We have to celebrate together. This is what the youth is all abou—," Lee was interrupted by a pair of chopsticks hitting his face.

"Stop it, Lee." Tenten commanded. She dusted her hands and sat back down into her seat.

Temari chuckled at the mental image of the Konoha shinobi showing up to Suna for a party. "You know what? I'm sure Gaara would appreciate the company."

Naruto threw his fist in the air and cheered, "Alright! You can bet on it happening! That's a promise!" He nervously gave Hinata a kiss on the cheek and rushed past Neji to join the other table. The jinchuriki has been extremely cautious around Neji ever since he proposed to Hinata. Even though Neji considered Naruto a formidable rival, his childish antics kept him prone to dangerous accidents. This made Neji extremely uneasy about his constant presence around Hinata. Naruto found that a protective Neji proved to be scarier than any human or deity he'd ever encountered.

"Hinata-sama. Tenten. Everyone." Neji bowed.

"See ya," was all Shikamaru said. He kept his eyes on Temari as he turned to walk away with Neji, only looking away once she was out of his peripheral vision.

After the guys left, the girls shared another toast before resuming to their conversation. Ino was trying her best to engage in the excitement over helping Hinata plan the wedding, but couldn't shake Shikamaru's glare. It was as if it was piercing through her chakra. The blonde kunoichi nervously poured herself another serving of whiskey, praying that the alcohol would help her block him out. Unfortunately, she felt her head reluctantly turn to look in his direction the moment she set the bottle down.

 _Damn him…_ she thought as she glared at him from across the restaurant.

Shikamaru made a pistol with his hand and brought it up to his temple. That was their team's secret signal on and off the battlefield whenever they needed to communicate through her. He withdrew his shadow and watched as Ino rolled her eyes at him.

" _What?"_ He finally heard her voice in his head.

" _What do you think you're doing, Ino?"_

" _Having lunch!"_ He could hear her voice beaming.

" _And drinking. Shots. With her. And in the afternoon for god's sake._ "

" _Oh. Yeah. I ran into her and invited her to join us._ "

" _Why?_ "

"Ino, are you okay?" Tenten's voice interrupted her thoughts. "You're really quiet and look super annoyed."

"Sorry! It's just… You know when you suddenly remember everything you have get done?" Ino lied, laughing nervously.

"Worry about that later! You're the one who wanted to celebrate!"

"Right!" Ino smiled and took another sip of her whiskey.

" _Ino._ " Shikamaru's voice rang in her head again.

 _"Hold on! I'm trying to carry two conversations here. To answer your question, I was just being nice. She was by herself and I figured she wouldn't mind some company."_

 _"Don't be so troublesome."_

 _"She's having fun. No one is forcing her to stay, and she's the one who offered to buy the bottle of whiskey."_

 _"Yamazaki is your favorite whiskey, Ino."_ Shikamaru's repetition of her name was starting to get on her nerves. It made her feel as if she was being scolded by a parent.

 _"But she insisted on ordering it! I have to say, you're awfully possessive about someone who isn't even your girlfriend yet... Or… is she?"_

"Choji, what are you doing…?"

Across the table, Neji was giving Choji the same questioning look he always gave Guy-sensei whenever he would do something strange, which was almost all the time. Choji had noticed Shikamaru sending their secret signal to Ino. He was furiously tapping his temple with his index and middle fingers to let her know that she had forgotten to include him in the conversation, but she never looked in his direction.

"Nothing," Choji said. He turned his attention to the appetizers that had finally arrived, deciding that he would ask Shikamaru about it later.

Shikamaru was thankful for Choji's distraction. Ino's question caught him off guard, and he was sure it was showing on his face. _"Just promise to stay out of trouble. And don't do anything embarrassing either."_

 _"Okay, Nii-san."_ Ino reassured him, addressing him by the nickname she used intimately with him and Choji. _"I'll stay out of trouble, but I can't promise you that she will. She's too scary for me to boss around! Ja ne!"_

" _Ino!"_

He was met with nothing but silence. Ino had already disconnected their link. He sighed. _Ugh. Women are so troublesome._

"Shikamaru!" Choji yelled when he saw that Shikamaru was done communicating with Ino.

"What is it, Choji?" Shikamaru asked. He felt Choji's warm breath next to his face. The greasy smell of ponzu sauce and potato chips filled his nostrils, forcing him to lean against Kiba in attempt to distant himself from Choji's mouth.

"What was that about? Why didn't Ino include me?!" Choji tried to whisper, but to no avail. Like Naruto, he only had two volumes: loud and louder.

Shikamaru glanced in Temari's direction before grabbing the pitcher of beer from the middle of their table. "It wasn't important."

Choji caught who he was looking at. "Oh, was it about Temari-san?"

"No, now stop hogging the gyoza." Shikamaru said abruptly to change the subject. Kiba jammed his elbow into Shikamaru's ribcage as he reached for a dumpling, causing him drop it into the dish of ponzu sauce.

"Of course it was," Kiba said under his breath just loud enough for Shikamaru to hear.

"What are you talking about?" Shikamaru asked, fishing the dumpling out of the ponzu sauce.

"You and Warrior Princess of the Sand over there."

"What?"

"Dude, her scent is all over you!" Kiba accused under his breath.

Stunned and speechless, Shikamaru dropped the gyoza into the sauce again. His mind flashed to Temari wearing his shirt. He had completely forgotten about Kiba's heightened sense of smell.

"I mean you smell like you showered," Kiba continued. "But your clothes smell exactly like her. That, I get, but why does your hair smell like her? That's just weird, bro." Kiba stood up in his seat and sniffed Shikamaru's hair.

"What are you doing?! _I'm_ weird?! This looks awkward as hell!" Shikamaru hissed as he hastily yanked Kiba back into his seat.

"Oh, that must be hers. That would explain the new hairdo today," Kiba reckoned, looking in Temari's direction.

Defeated, Shikamaru raised both his hands in the air. He knew there was no point in lying or dodging the question anymore when he was literally wearing the evidence. "Tch. You might make a better strategist than a shinobi, Kiba."

Kiba smirked, "So... was last night your first time?"

Shikamaru choked on his beer.

"Yeah. I can smell that too, buddy." Kiba said with a smug smile on his face. "I might be a better detective than a strategist. That shit you do sounds complicated as fuck."

Shikamaru placed a hand on Kiba's shoulder and looked at him dead in the eye. "Kiba," he said, the expression on his face and the tone in his voice completely serious. "The secrets you must have on people could possibly take down Konoha..."

Kiba blinked a few times before bursting into laugher, "You don't even know the half of it, man!" He tapped his glass against Shikamaru's for a cheers chugged the rest of his beer.

* * *

Three hours and four rounds later, the girls were laughing happily as they reminisced about their childhood encounters with one another. Ino reached for the bottle to pour the last round for their table.

Tenten covered her mouth with her hand, "Nope. I'm done."

"Same," Sakura agreed.

"Aw, c'mon! There's exactly five shots left!" Ino whined and pouted at her friends. Tenten and Sakura shook their heads and turned away from the alcohol. Ino huffed, she looked over at Hinata. "Hinata?"

"Sure," Hinata answered, lifting her glass to Ino. Aside from the whiskey on her breath and a tint of rose on her cheeks, Hinata appeared completely unaffected by the alcohol.

"That's my girl!" Ino praised before turning to the remaining kunoichi. "Temari?"

"Sure, but it'll be my last." Temari placed her hand on her stomach, "I don't have the capacity for another shot. The noodles were quite filling."

Temari sat out of the final round as Ino and Hinata polished off the remnants of the bottle. Then the girls paid for their meal and joined their male comrades outside. Sakura immediately left with Tenten after saying a quick goodbye, claiming how they desperately needed to rehydrate. Lee, the only one that didn't touch a single drop of alcohol, accompanied them to ensure the safety of his friend and and his former crush.

"Are you ready, Hinata? I'll walk you home," Naruto asked her. She nodded at him. "See you guys tomorrow night!" he said as he turned and waved to his friends before walking off. He only managed a few paces before he noticed that Neji was walking with them. Naruto started to sweat profusely as he asked, "Oi, Neji. Are you… walking this direction too?"

"Are you asking me if I'm walking in the direction of the _Hyuga_ residence?"

"Oh, right." Naruto nervously laughed, scratching the back of his head. His shoulders slumped as he continued his awkward journey with Neji and Hinata.

Shino adjusted his glasses. "Those three…" he sighed, causing the remainder of the group to laugh.

"See you tomorrow!" Choji gave Shikamaru a nudge as he walked by him. Ino followed behind him, hanging onto Sai to balance herself. She waved over her shoulder at her friends until they were out of sight.

"Welp. See you guys tomorrow then. Oh, and Shikamaru? Please come in a clean outfit," Kiba snickered before walking away with Shino.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his head. "How troublesome…"

"What was that about?" Temari whispered once Kiba and Shino were out of sight.

"Kiba smelled you on my clothes," he explained. Shoving his hands into the pockets of pants, he began to walk down the street. "And… what happened last night."

"Oh," was all a very embarrassed Temari could muster up. She stood there stunned until she suddenly noticed that he wasn't walking in the direction of her inn."Hey, wait. Where are you going?"

He stopped to look over his shoulder at her. "Didn't you hear him? I need to change." Shikamaru had expected her to follow him as she usually would, but he suddenly realized that going to his apartment was not quite the same as escorting her to the Hokage's office. "Oh. Uh. You can come if you'd like… unless you want to go back to your inn and meet up after."

Temari kept her eyes on the ground. She knew what she wanted. What she _didn't_ want was to sound too desperate or clingy. The alcohol made it hard for her to organized her thoughts. She heard herself admit, "I'll go with you."

They walked in silence as the sunset started to paint the sky bright hues of red and orange. It reminded her of Sunagakure. She looked over at Shikamaru, who was now walking with his fingers laced behind his head. Temari had the sudden urge to break the stillness between them. Alcohol always made her chattier than she'd like to be. "Sakura knows about us too."

Shikamaru kept his eyes on the road before them. "Oh?"

"I thought I could pass off the 'present' you left on my neck as a scratch," she explained. "But Sakura said any medical-nin could differentiate between the two."

"She… knows a thing or two about bite marks…" he scoffed to himself. "You should have told her you ran into Orochimaru… God knows why we let him roam around Konoha. Kakashi is probably laughing at how spooked the town is from his tower."

Temari found herself chuckling under her breath. They briefly stopped to allow a group of children to run across their path. Shikamaru smiled to himself as an image of Asuma quickly flashed in his head.

"Sakura didn't ask who it was from," she continued. "She just called out the teeth marks on my neck and brought me into the bathroom to heal it. But… she's a smart girl. I'm sure she can put two and two together."

"That she is," he said. Still walking with his arms behind his head, he shifted his gaze from the street to Temari. "So... you didn't like the 'present' I left you then?"

"Don't be annoying," she grunted. "I can't wear my hair up if you keep leaving those."

"At least it wasn't a hickey," he teased. "And why don't you like your hair down?"

"Probably the same reason you don't," she retorted.

As they turned the corner, Shikamaru closed his eyes and sighed. She had him there. "Ino and Choji dragged out of me a few weeks ago," he admitted. "Ino hounded me for an entire weekend until I told her about you."

"I know. They were spying on us the night you met me by the Naka River. You didn't see because you were facing away from the window when were at the restaurant."

"Tch. So that's how they found out." The bustling streets of Konoha was finally calming down around them. Shop owners began lighting lanterns outside to illuminate their signs. "So…" he slowly began. "We're not exactly a secret then, huh?"

"No," she responded. "I guess not."

"But what exactly are we?" Shikamaru asked. _Shit_. _That was really forward_. He turned away from her to hide his embarrassment, cursing at himself for not thinking before he spoke. He blamed the beer for his recklessness.

"Dating," Temari answered him without any inhibition. The whiskey was hitting her harder than she had expected as well. It obliterated the verbal filter that she usually had in place. "It's called dating," she continued. "When people try to figure out what they want to do with each other, right?"

Her directness stunned him, leaving him at a loss for words. However, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense to him. "That... doesn't sound too troublesome at all. Maybe it's not as hard as I thought it'd be…" he slowly admitted.

Temari just shrugged. She wasn't quite sure herself, but she figured that was a problem for sober Temari.

"Careful," she warned. "Isn't that what you said about your mission to retrieve Sasuke?"

Shikamaru flinched.

"That was an understatement of the century. How long did that take?" she continued to taunt him.

He furrowed his brows and narrowed his eyes are the street in front of them.

"Five? Six years?"

"Shut up."

"Remember how I immediately, and I stress, _immediately_ had to rescue you from Tayu—"

"Shut up!"

* * *

Oh my goddddd. I took out a ton of dialogue which in turn took away from the character development of the other Rookie 9, but will probably reuse the material for an upcoming chapter. Even I felt like this was lacking a lot of ShikaTem for being a ShikaTem fic.

That's okay though. I already have the next chapter drafted up when I can finally focus on our favs.

 **I don't know. Please me know if this pace is fine for you, or if its dragging on too long.**


	4. Troublemaker

Hi! I was excited to get this chapter out. Thank you so much for the positive feedback! It really keeps me motivated. :)

* * *

 **Troublemaker**

When they finally reached his apartment, Shikamaru watched as Temari guided herself up the stairs in his building by slightly hanging on the railing for support. Seeing her loudly ascend the steps was a new and rather unusual concept for him. Despite being the most intimidating kunoichi he's ever met, Temari somehow always managed to be very graceful. She fought like a warrior, but carried herself like nobility. It made sense to him considering she was from the Kazekage Clan of Suna, where becoming Kage was still a birthright.

Once inside, Shikamaru slid off his shoes and placed it in a getabako made of onyx-stained mahogany. He barely made it out of his genkan when he heard a soft _thud_ on the floor behind him. Turning around to inspect the sudden noise, he saw that Temari had plopped herself down onto the steps at the entryway of his apartment and was gently tugging at her footwear until they finally came off her feet. Even in her slightly drunken state, she was still able to neatly tuck her shoes away. Then she began to clumsily fuss with the clasp on her tessen. When she finally managed to release it, he watched as it slipped out of her fingertips and straight into his tansu. Shikamaru cringed at the potential damage. The expensive and sturdy mahogany was no match for her customized weapon.

He learned that her fan was an ancient relic made by the Kazekage Clan the night he invited her to the Nara forest. They manipulated different metals until it formed a material called _graphene_ to construct her entire tessen. In addition to being the strongest yet lightest material ever created, it conducted chakra brilliantly. Chakra moved faster through graphene than any other tested material. She'd told him about her tessen in confidence and made him swear to keep it a secret. Of course with Temari, it more of a threat than a request. Graphene was a rare resource that very few people knew how to produce, and her tessen would have been highly sought after if word of its existence got out. Combined with the chakra infused sand and the puppets inherited from Sasori, the Sand Siblings had quite the terrifying collection of weapons. The thought of crossing them made him shudder.

Temari picked herself off the floor and carried her tessen with her into the next room, oblivious to the dent she had left on his furniture. Shikamaru's apartment turned out to be a rather extravagant loft and was eerily spotless for someone who had a reputation for being lazy. The only thing out of place was a single chair at his dining table, prompting her to assume that it was a place he frequented alone. His bedroom was divided from the living room by large, sliding shoji doors that made up the entire wall. However, instead of the traditional translucent paper over wooden frames, the doors were made out of frosted glass. Setting her tessen down in a corner, she walked over to inspect them. "Fancy."

"The place was a gift from my parents for the whole chief-strategist thing," he explained, scratching the back of his head. "My dad said he enjoyed having his own space when he was my age so…this happened I guess."

"Quite a gift," Temari said. Even though she knew he was a little more comfortable with talking about it now, she instinctively shifted the topic away from his father. "So, your mom decorated this place for you?"

"No. They just gave me the space," he answered, looking away from her.

"Aww. Nara Shikamaru, chief-strategist of the entire Allied Shinobi Forces _and_ interior designer!?" she teased.

"Tch. I'm sure you live in a fancier place, being the Kazekage's sister and all," he tried to rebuttal.

"Nope," she vaguely replied as she continued to inspect his loft.

"What? Really?"

"My place is really plain. I'm never really there, so I saw no point to completely invest in decorating it. Most of my time is spent in a room that's adjacent to Gaara's, or traveling to and from Konoha," she explained.

"Right. The bodyguard thing."

"Yeah," she smiled, echoing him. "The bodyguard thing,"

"Which one do you consider your home then?"

"Suna is my home. I can retreat to my apartment, or I can spend time with my brothers. I can help Gaara oversee the government in our offices, or I can stroll through the town and check in on our citizens. The setting itself is never important, it's whoever's company I choose to keep."

Shikamaru watched her in silence as she went over the details of his kitchen. The more he got the know her, the more he realized that he didn't know very much about her at all. She proved to be more complex than any woman he's ever encountered, something he didn't know was even possible since he found them all to be complicated creatures. Apparently, there's still a lot more to Temari than her resilient exterior and her gentle smile.

 _Thump._

His thoughts were interrupted when she tripped over her feet and against his couch.

"Are you drunk?" he asked, walking over to straighten it out again.

"No," she answered. "I'm definitely not sober, but I'm not drunk either."

Not trusting her answer, he went up to her as she poked her head into the spare room he'd turned into an office. When she turned back around, she found him looming over her with his hands in his pockets. It was a quirk of his that she couldn't help but find attractive. They stood in a brief moment of silence while he studied her face.

Temari had to lift her head almost all the way back to look at him due to the close proximity between them. "What is it?"

"Are you sure?" he asked in a low, throaty voice. He dropped his head to rest his forehead against hers. The corner of his lips curled into a smile when he saw how the rosy tint from the alcohol was no longer enough to mask the new shade of scarlet that was now on her cheeks. That was his favorite thing about their chemistry. Temari hated showing weakness, apparently enough that she carried the trait into the bedroom. Making her voluntarily give in to him was a challenge that he found more pleasure in than playing shogi. He reveled in his new-found game of forcing her body to betray her as she fought to stay composed under his touch.

"Yes," she replied flatly.

He took a side step around her so that her back turned and faced the wall. Knowing that she was too proud and stubborn to flinch, he walked into her. The impact caused her to fall against it, trapping her in front of him. _Checkmate_ , he thought and simpered.

"What are you doing?" she questioned when he placed his hand against the wall next to her head to support his weight. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared back at him. Aggression was her body's natural response to being cornered

Shikamaru didn't respond. Instead, he just hovered his lips next to her earlobe and waited for her reaction. It merely took a few seconds before he felt her breath on his neck as she exhaled deeply. He smelled the sweet aroma of the whiskey that still coated her tongue. _Too easy_ , he thought to himself and smirked before clasping his lips around her earlobe.

Temari gasped for air as her body arched into his. Shutting her eyes in a mix of frustration and pleasure, she let out sigh when he pressed his lips together a little harder. A whimper escaped her when she felt his lips trace their way down her neck. She cursed his name under her breath for the control he had over her.

"What was that?" He whispered into her ear, smiling again when she squirmed from his breath making contact with her skin. He pulled the other hand out of his pocket to pin her shoulder against the wall, keeping her in place. "I said," he continued, pausing between every word. "What… was… that?"

Shikamaru pulled his head back so that he could look at her. He kept his eyes on her until she finally lifted her eyes up to meet his. The frustrated look on her face as she glared at him made him smirk again as he snaked the hand that was on her shoulder around her waist. He pulled her body close to constrain her for what he was about to do next.

Just when Temari was about to catch her breath, she felt Shikamaru biting down into her earlobe. All it took was a gentle suction in his mouth for her to cry out. He pushed his weight against her to keep her pinned against the wall. Her hand found its way into his hair and under the base of his ponytail.

"Say it," he demanded in a low growl. When she refused, she felt his lips hover over to the area on her neck where he had left his mark the night before.

"Don't." Temari warned, not wanting to go through the stress of trying to hide her neck again.

"Tch," was all he said before he sank his teeth into her flesh.

Temari cried out his name as her other hand flew to his bicep. She dug her nails into his arm, trying to redirect her tension on her neck. Sakura managed to heal the bite marks, but her skin was still very tender. It made his bite a lot more painful this time around. She started to cry out when he bit harder, but he traced her lips with his thumb before slipping it inside her mouth to silence her.

Her body slumped against the wall when we finally released her. The faint scent of whiskey continued to fill the air around them as Temari attempted to regulate her breathing. Her hand fell out of his hair and onto his shoulder. She wrapped both her arms around his neck to support her weight before closing her eyes and inhaling deeply.

Shikamaru pulled her off the wall and around the corner into his office. He lifted her up and seated her on his desk. Positioning himself between her legs, he started to trace the opening of her kimono. He hooked his fingers around the hem of her robe and ran his fingers up her thigh until they were between her legs. The moisture that was seeping through her underwear caused him to smile in satisfaction. Her chest heaved rapidly with heavy panting as he started to graze his lips against hers. Just as he was about to completely close the space between them, they were suddenly interrupted by a sound coming from his door.

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._

Temari watched for his reaction. She could tell by the expression on his face that he was counting down the seconds until the person left.

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Shikamaru!"

A female's voice tore his gaze away from Temari. He poked his head outside his office and looked in the direction of his door. "Who the hell…?" he muttered under his breath. Sighing heavily, he hesitantly slid his hands off her body to fix his ponytail before going to answer it.

"Shiho? What are you doing here?" he asked. He held the door wide open, but Temari couldn't see the girl behind his tall figure.

"I was in the neighborhood and decided to pop in to say hi!"

"But… how did you get my address?"

Temari raised an eyebrow at his question before laughing quietly to herself. Girls fawning over Shikamaru was nothing new to her, but she couldn't help but find a little humor in him having stalkers.

"I remembered you telling us that your parents bought you an apartment in this building," the voice beamed.

"I never told you that..." he quietly said. He was confident that he'd never mentioned his apartment around Shiho and was too afraid to ask how she even knew the unit number. That was something he refused to share with anyone but Ino and Choji.

"Anyway," Shiho continued, talking over him. "Are you hungry? Did you want to go grab some food?"

"I have plans with Temari," he flatly admitted. That caught Temari off guard. She wasn't expecting him to mention having another guest at all, let alone mention her name.

"Oh! The representative from Suna that you work with, right? I remember one of my associates saying how they have a meeting with her and the Hokage on Sunday. I'm sure that means you'll be there too. You're in charge of accommodating her whenever she visits, right?"

"That's… not exactly..." he began before realizing that she wasn't _entirely_ wrong. "Yeah. Something like that. I'm going to be with her until she departs for Sunagakure," he explained, hoping to deter her.

"You're such a hard worker, Shikamaru. Let me know when you're free, yeah?" Shiho asked. Temari couldn't help but the smile at the mysterious voice behind Shikamaru. She almost admired the other girl's confidence and persistence. It reminded her of Daimaru.

"Uh. Kay," he said as he turned to close the door. He looked over at Temari and shrugged.

"My, oh my. Stalkers? Should I be worried?" she jabbed at him.

"Girls are so troublesome," he sighed, folding his arms in front of him. He walked back into his office. "You're the one to talk, woman. Don't act like the entire alliance didn't snicker amongst themselves when they learned that someone came back from the dead for the Sand President's sister."

Temari laughed at the title he used to address Gaara. "Yeah, but he's sealed. She, on the other hand, is very much alive and kicking."

"I'm sure you can handle that issue," he whispered as he leaned into her to pick up where they had left off.

"I'm famished," she declared.

Shikamaru froze in disbelief. "A-are you serious? We just ate!"

"I don't joke about food, and I ate almost 4 hours ago. We spent the rest of our time drinking…"

"You've got to be fucking with me," he groaned.

"Apparently," she began as she hopped off his desk and walked into this living room. "I'm not. Because I'm hungry."

"Can't it wait?"

"Want to know what's the Sand President's _only_ fear is?"

He blinked in confusion at her sudden question. "What?"

"His sister when she's hungry."

Shikamaru grunted and rolled his eyes.

"You should go change," she ordered as she walked over to his couch to take a seat on the armrest.

"I could say the same about you now," he said, smiling coyly at her.

"I don't have anything to change into. I thought I wasn't meeting you until later but…"

"But Ino happened," Shikamaru sighed, finishing her sentence for her. "So, do you want to pick up your clothes before or after dinner?" he asked. He started to take off his flak jacket as he walked past her to his bedroom.

"What makes you think I'm coming back here?" she jokingly snapped at him.

"Tch," he grunted and peeled off his shirt before approaching her.

She snuck a glance at his body, taking in the definition of his muscles before he got too close. It took Temari everything within her to keep her eyes focused on his face when he was finally standing over her.

"Because, _troublemaker_ ," he began in husky voice. He lifted her chin up with his fingers so he could look directly into her eyes. "My walls are more soundproof than the ones at your inn."

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Temari and Shikamaru totally come off as the power play kind of couple, don't they?

As always, let me know what you think and let me know what other cannon couple you'd like to see more of. :)


	5. Appetite

HELLO!

 **HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TEMARI!**

I rushed this one out in honor of _OUR BEST GIRL_. Thank you, Temari, for being the strong female trope every anime/manga needs.

 **Warning: This chapter contains a lemon.** Just stop reading after she goes searching for food if that's not your thing. (That was really funny for me to type.)

 **Warning #2: This is my first lemon.** This is also my first fanfic that I didn't write as a 12 year old (oh lord that is now literally a half of my lifetime ago shoot me), but definitely still my first lemon. I was soooo nervous about it because I suck at wrapping it up. How the fuck do you write orgasms? ha ha ha ha,ahahadlkfhas;dfh. I almost scratched the entire thing and wrote an alternative ending to this chapter.

Anyway, I just wanted to publish this on August 23. For the best girl. Have I mentioned she's the best? It is now 11:41PM PST and yeah. I will definitely be making small edits after I shower. I'm cutting it close. I'll keep disclaimers up there and random notes including notes to my reviewers at the bottom. Enjoy!

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 **Appetite**

 _Red._

 _That was all Shikamaru saw until the sound of Ino and Choji crying broke him out of his daze. Everything went black as he briefly shut his eyes, allowing them to adjust and focus on the sight before him when they opened._

 _"Sensei!" Ino's cry echoed in his ears._

 _Ino was in hysterics, crying into Asuma's bloodied flak jacket as he continued to bleed out on the floor. He slowly turned his head to look at Choji, who was trying his best to constrain the tears that were streaming down his face. When he finally looked down at his sensei, the red sky around them spun until it morphed into the Tailed Beast Ball before shooting off into the distance. His father's face was the last thing he saw before a white flash of light blinded him._

Shikamaru abruptly sat up in his bed. His eyes were wide in terror as he clutched his chest, trying to catch his breath. He began inhaling deeply to ease the painful pounding of his racing heart. It felt as if it was going to burst out from right under his sternum. Dropping his head into his hands, he attempted to synchronize his heart rate with his breathing. He pushed his face against the palm of his hands to wipe the beads of sweat that were rolling into his eyes.

Temari was laying next to him on her side with her arm under the pillow to support her neck. He had woken her up just a few moments prior from stirring around in his sleep. She felt her own heart tense up as she watched him struggling to compose himself. It was the same wrenching feeling she'd always experienced whenever she watched Gaara struggle with his own night terrors. She waited until he appeared to be breathing normally again before she spoke.

"Did I appear in your dreams?" she asked lightheartedly, hoping to clear the tension in the air. Temari was perceptive enough to recognized that most people hated being caught in a vulnerable state. If there's anything she's learned about Shikamaru after all these years, it's that he's just like her when it comes to dealing with his problems. He does it independently and privately. Unless they were putting themselves in any kind of physical danger, she'd always let people bring up their problems first instead forcing them to talk about it.

"W-what?" he stammered as he jerked his head in the direction of her voice. His nightmare had made him forget that she was there, causing him to jump in his skin when her heard her voice. It took him a few seconds to process her presence. Her eyes captured his in a soft, peaceful gaze as she smiled up at him. He sat there for several seconds, losing himself in the tranquility of watching the light from his window dance around the teal orbs. And just like that, he felt the weight on his chest slowly melt away.

"Did you have a nightmare about me?" she joked again when he didn't answer. She sighed and sat up to wrap her arms around his neck. "It's okay. I know I'm pretty scary, but I don't bite. You on the other hand…"

"Uh…" was the only sound he could muster up. He still couldn't formulate a proper sentence from waking up so violently.

"Ugh. Whatever," she jokingly grunted. She dragged him back down into the covers and pulled him into a tight hug, knowing well that it was what he needed but would never ask for. After a few seconds, she felt him finally easing into her embrace as he moved to bury his face into her neck. He exhaled deeply and wrap his arm around her while sliding the one facing the mattress under the pillow to keep it out of their way.

Shikamaru wasn't oblivious to what she was doing. Somehow, she managed to find a way to comfort him without bringing any attention to what just happened. He appreciated the gesture and her respect for his privacy. Unlike Naruto, he was never the type to vocalize his emotions. That's the thing about Temari though. She was intuitive enough to know when and when not to interrogate people. The only time she ever interrogated him was when he almost got himself killed during the secret mission in the Land of Silence.

Temari went on to to lay there without saying a single word, only moving to occasionally readjust herself. She wanted to give him as much time as he needed, but reconsidered her decision after an hour had already passed.

"Hey… Are you sleeping?" she asked quietly. When he didn't respond, she brought her fingers up to his nose and clamped his nostrils shut. Because his face was still nuzzled against her neck, it didn't take very long before he started to suffocate. She felt him squirm as he yanked his head back to breathe. However, she kept her grips on his nose, causing him to yell as he pulled his entire body away from her.

"Ow! What the hell?" he scowled at her.

"Do you usually sleep in so late?" she asked, rolling over on her back to stretch under his dark grey bedding. Grey. That was the _only_ theme in his entire bedroom. His walls were a slate grey with silver curtains that contrasted the darkness of his room. Both the bed sheet and the fitted sheet on his king sized mattress was a paler shade of silver than his drapes, and was covered by a dark grey duvet. His pillows were a mix of of the two colors while the fleece throw blanket at the foot of his bed was a shade in between the rest of the bedding. It gave his room a very modern and minimalistic feel that she thought suited him.

He looked across the room where he kept his alarm clock. Walking to the other side to turn it off was the only way he managed to drag himself out of bed. "It's nine in the morning! On a Saturday for fuck's sake," he groaned and rubbed his nose which was now red from her pinch. "And, we didn't exactly do a lot of sleeping."

After getting barbeque, they went to gather her belongings from the inn. She was a light traveler so it was really just another change of clothes and a large shirt she'd slept in. They bickered over who got to carry her belongings on the walk back to his apartment. He made comments about how his mother drilled it into him that men should always carry things for women, and she snapped back with how ancient his perception of women was. However, he silenced her when he declared that he knew she was very capable and independent, and she just "needs to accept that sometimes people just want to do things to be nice for her." That got her to finally agree to let him to carry her stuff. He ran her a bath when she complained about the smell of barbecue in her hair, which opened the door for him to pick up where they'd left off right before dinner.

Temari flashed her infamous grin at him, "I'm hungry."

Shikamaru blinked at her. Groaning, he started to rub his eyelids with his thumb and middle finger. _Don't tell me I like her because she's a combo of Choji and Ino…and my mom… and my dad._ Without a doubt, Temari was the only person alive who could match his mother's temperament. However, she often reminded him of his father during their more serious conversations as well. In addition to being a highly intelligent strategist and political figure, she also shared his perspective and opinions on various things in life, proven during his conversations with both of them while waiting for Choji at the hospital years ago. Ino had made a joke about him having amazing taste in women when she pointed out the similarities with their blond hair and teal eyes, and their motherly role in their respective teams. Apparently, she also has the same appetite as Choji. _I need to see a shrink_ , he thought to himself.

"What?" she demanded, glaring at him.

"You eat just as much as Choji," he partially admitted.

"I think in an ideal world, all girls would eat as much as Choji," she shrugged.

He thought of how Ino always talked about the all food she wanted to eat, but couldn't because she was always on some new diet. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. You don't seem to carry any extra weight though."

"That's because I have to do things like, I don't know, walk three days to get home tomorrow," she said sarcastically.

"You'd think they'd do something about that now that we're allies," he grunted, laying back down in his bed.

"That's a topic I'm bringing up in tomorrow's meeting," she began. "Someone approached Gaara about creating a route for a train that would connect Suna to all the other villages. It's still being debated amongst our council because being so isolated is part of our defense, but Gaara thought that this would be great just for our alliance with Konoha to start. It will allow the citizens to travel between the two nations and will make prepping for the chunin exams a lot easier for us," she explained. After the great war, there was in influx of industrial advancement now that people no longer worried about preparing for war. Trains were at the top of the list for investors because it would change the way people were able to travel. However, it was still too soon after the war and people were still nervous about borders and boundaries. Given the close relationship between Suna and Konoha, Gaara was intent on being the first village to break those boundaries in hopes that the other nations will move forward to do the same.

"A train?"

"Yeah. What would take me three days on foot will only take me an hour on the train," she continued to explain. When she realized he was getting comfortable in bed again, she pinched him. "What are you doing? I said I was hungry."

"Goddamn it, woman. Stop pinching me," he demanded as he rubbed the spot on his arm that she attacked. "Besides, _I'm_ not hungry yet."

Temari groaned and started to make her way out of his bed in hopes of finding something to snack on in his kitchen. Her feet barely touched the rug on his hardwood floor when she felt something binding her arms against her body, keeping her from standing up. She looked down to find a shadow wrapped around her. Annoyed, she turned around to see him smiling innocently at her. "What?!" she snapped at him.

He used the shadow to pull her back into his bed. "You can help me work up an appetite," he said with a sheepish grin.

She snorted when he suggestively lifted his eyebrows at her. "Oh god, that was tacky."

He laughed with her before letting go of his shadow sewing technique to climb over her. She searched his eyes, hoping to find what his intentions with her were. Although they appeared tired from whatever was haunting him in his sleep, she saw a longing look in them. It wasn't quite love, nor was it lust. Not entirely, at least. It made her feel wanted, maybe even needed. She couldn't quite explain it, but it sent overwhelming emotions surging through her body. She knew she cared for him and at the same time was _immensely_ attracted to him. The chemistry was there. The chemistry has always been there. But, there was something that was still falling short for her. It muddied the lines between their friendship and whatever they were doing right now, making it hard for her to determine where they stood with each other. All she knew was that it never took very much for her to completely omit those boundaries when he touched her.

Her legs slid open to accommodate the width of his hips as dropped on his elbow next to her head to support his weight. His other hand roamed under the white crew neck shirt that she had stolen from him and reached for her breast, lifting the shirt up in the process. He dropped his head until he could feel her breath against his lips and stared at her, his gaze searingly intense. Capturing her mouth in a deep kiss, he lightly bit into her bottom lip and dipped his tongue inside when she opened her mouth to let out a sigh. He tasted her in long, leisurely licks. His lips found their way to her neck as he dug his fingers into her breast.

She didn't protest when he lightly bit down into her skin. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she felt her body silently beg for more when her hips started to grind into him.

He bit as hard as he could without breaking her skin when he felt her pushing against his entire length, causing her to cry out in pleasure. Shikamaru had quickly learned that Temari is _very_ vocal during sex after their first time together. Back at her inn, he made it a game to see how often he could foil her attempts to suppress her moans. It proved to be way too easy given how sensitive her nape was. She scolded him after the third time he made her scream, and then proceeded to threatened that she was going to make _him_ cry out. With her fists. Unfortunately, that was a game he couldn't play now that they were at his apartment, but he equally enjoyed every sound he'd earned from her.

Shikamaru gently tugged the shirt over her head and tossed it off the side of his bed. Grasping both of her breasts in his hands, he gave them a firm squeeze before slowly running them down her stomach. When he reached her hips, he dug his finger tips into the hem of her underwear and dragged them down her legs. Once they were completely removed, he circled his fingers up her thighs until they were between her legs. A smile tugged on his lips when he felt that she was already wet.

Temari had a love-hate relationship with that smug smile of his. He always worked with an abundance amount of patience, never failing to make her entire body ache with anticipation. His hands were always tender, but just aggressive enough to make it impossible for her to forget how he would touch her.

"Shikamaru!" She whimpered his name when he plunged two of his fingers inside her. His palm rested against her clitoris as he stroked his fingers against the wall of her sex. Her hands shot up to grip his forearm as her hips started to grind against his hand. She tossed her head back and moaned as she dug her nails into him. He leaned forward to bring his lips to her neck again, leaving a trail of kisses on until he reached her breast. Another sigh escaped her lips when he wrapped his mouth around her nipple, followed by a loud groan when he bit down on it. Despite her complaints the other day about his bite marks, he discovered that she was the most responsive when he would get a little rough with her.

Feeling her fingers slipping into the waistband on his boxers, he snatched her hand away and pinned it over her head. Unlike Shikamaru, Temari was always brash and impatient. It made teasing her that much easier for him. "No," he ordered as he began to move his fingers more aggressively inside her.

"Please…" she sighed.

The sudden rosiness that was burning across her cheeks made him smirk. He brought his lips to her ear and gently tugged on her earring with his teeth. "Please what?" he asked in a low voice.

Temari turned her head away from him and shut her eyes, trying to fight the battle that was raging on inside her. She found Shikamaru's assertive demeanor to be wildly attractive, but hated giving him the satisfaction of making her bend at his every whim.

When she refused to answer, he gently placed his hand on top of her neck and grasped her chin between his thumb and index finger forcing her to look at him. Her usual brilliant green eyes were clouded with lust. "Tell me," he demanded.

 _Fuck._

She didn't have to say anything. Her body was giving into his command. The way it kept pressing into him gave him the answer he wanted from her. Her eyes glanced down to follow his hand when she felt him remove his fingers from inside her, but he kept his other hand around her neck, preventing her to see beyond his chest. Suddenly, she felt the tip of his erection sliding against her entrance. She realized that she was no longer in control of her body when she couldn't stop the moans and whimpers that were now rolling off her tongue. Her legs locked around his hips as she tried to pull him into her.

"No," he growled as he pushed his hand down harder on her neck, applying just enough pressure to keep her in place. A smile crept on his face when he felt a warm liquid ooze out of her entrance. "Tell me what you want," he whispered. He released her chin and traced his fingertips down the length of her torso.

She resented the way he was stroking her, but her body lit up under his touch. The area between her legs was begging for attention. "You…" she heard herself admit quietly.

With that, he reached under her thighs and gripped her hips to pull her closer to him. The walls inside her tensed around him as he slowly slid himself inside her, pausing when he was halfway in. Just as she caught her breath, he slammed his hips into hers. He traced his fingers across her lips to hush her when she screamed out loud, not wanting to draw attention from his neighbors because he was sure that his apartment wasn't _entirely_ soundproof. However, he ceased to care when she wrapped her lips around his index finger and lightly ran her tongue against it. "Hn," he grunted with a devilish smile. "Aren't you fun?" His compliment earned a small smile from her, but it quickly disappeared when his pushed into her again. He savored the way she cried out every single time he hit the back of her cervix. After a few minutes, he felt her hands push against his abdomen. She kept trying to distance herself away from him, preventing him from being able to fully penetrating her.

"Stop squirming!" he hissed at her.

"I can't!" she complained.

He stopped to look at her, confused. "What do you mean you 'can't'?"

"I-it's… it's too much," she mumbled, glancing away from him in embarrassment. When she looked back at him, she saw a concerned look on his face. "You're… kind of uhm. Big. It gets a little intense," she admitted under her breath.

Shikamaru stared at her blankly for a few seconds, unsure of what to think. "You're lying," he accused.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Like I would try to find ways to feed that stupid ego of yours," she barked.

"Tch," he grunted, seeing some truth in her comment. "You'll be fine," he reassured her. Keeping his arms under her thighs to elevate her hips, he reached over to her forearms to pinned them to the mattress.

"Hey!" she yelled at him.

Shikamaru ignored her and slowly inserted himself all the way inside her again, causing her to moan his name loudly. He would pull out just enough so that the tip remained inside her, forcing her feel every inch of him with every slow stroke. When she tried to squirm away from him again, he would simply pull her back with the grips he had on wrists. He smirked at the way she'd scream out in pleasure each time he pushed himself all the way inside her. Unable talk over the moans he was forcing out of her, she tried to push into him for more but he ignored her and maintained his pace. She waited for him to succumb to the pleasure, hoping he would move against her more aggressively as he'd try to finish.

She waited, and waited, and waited. He would bring her close enough that kept her dripping wet with pleasure, but never allowed her peak. When she finally looked over at his clock again, she realized that 50 minutes had past since he started torturing her. Her mouth felt dry from all the panting despite her body being completely drenched with sweat. The constant friction made her insides so sensitive that she began push away from him again.

"Does it hurt?" she heard his concerned voice.

"No," she replied, trying to catch her breath while peeking up at him through her matted bangs. "The sensation was just a little too intense again."

"Tch," he closed his eyes and grunted again. He rolled off her and climb out of his bed.

"Where are you going?" she asked, lifting her head to look at him.

"No where," he answered before leaning over to yank her hips to the edge of his bed. He threw one of her legs over his shoulder and began to enter her again. This time, his trusts were shorter and faster.

She heard him moan under his breath when her walls tensed up around him. A scream erupted from her when he slammed into her hips again. She felt him lower his weight over her while maintaining the speed and intensity of his strokes. Her fingers tore through his ponytail and gripped the hair by his scalp as she tried to hide her screams in the crevasse of his neck.

"Shikamaru… I…" she panted into his ear, but the sensation that crashed down into her body kept her from finishing her thought. Her nails clawed into his back as her body curled up against his. The burst of endorphins from the scratches she left on his back and the cried into into his ear brought him to his limit, allowing him to finish with her.

He placed a kiss on her neck before peeling himself off to lay next to her. The two of them laid in silence as they tried to regulate their breathing. After a few minutes, she reached for the pack of cigarettes and Asuma's lighter that was sitting on his nightstand before laying back down next to him. He watched as she opened the carton to pull one out between her slender fingers. Her cerulean eyes danced in the light as she rotated the cigarette in different angles to study it. Setting it between her index and middle finger, she slowly brought it to her lips and asked, "Why do you do that to me...?"

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Tell me what you think, please! I read all of my reviews and they make me really happy and keep me going. 3

 **DragonWriterZZ, spiritedarray, ohud63, Nasterac, Fallen Leaves The Bronze Tree, SnowHusky20, .fox, sylversmith and all my guests!**

Thanks so much for all the support and feedback. I love it when you guys point out which parts you like (usually the dialog) because I'll find ways to keep incorporating it in my story.

I also have the "formal summary" of my fanfic in chapter 1 in case you're wondering what direction I'm going to take with this fic. I didn't quite know myself when I started writing either but I have up to chapter 15 planned out already and I'm super excited to write all of it. It's definitely going to be more drama-romance-comedy very shortly but who knows. That can change.


	6. Strawberries

Hi!

I just wanted to note that this chapter is _mostly_ fluff inspired by an excerpt. I will share that and the author with you in a few more chapters as it contains spoilers to where I plan on taking this fanfic. :)

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Shikamaru didn't even know where to start. When the hell did she start smoking? What the hell was she even talking about? Had he done something wrong? Figuring that he could ask her about the smoking at anytime, he decided to address the question at hand. She turned over and started to crawl out of bed before he could ask to clarify her question.

"Oi," he called after her as she sauntered over to his shirt and slipped it on again. It draped over her smaller frame like a dress, ending just few inches below her buttocks. The volume from her tousled hair framed her face in a way that almost made her look angelic when paired with her brilliant blue-green eyes. His eyes traced the silhouette of her hips and legs, stopping at the tiny bruise on her thigh. Temari was still training consistently for her role as a bodyguard, so it wasn't unusual to find battle wounds on her body. She was definitely a Lady of War. Her skin was tough and resilient, but it was still soft and smooth to the touch. He often caught himself subconsciously stroking her legs with his fingertips when they lingered in bed together.

She walked to the sliding glass door that lead to the balcony in his bedroom and motioned outside with her head. Peeling himself out of bed, he picked up his boxer off the floor and slid them on before stepping out to join her. The apartments in his building had secluded balconies that were isolated by concrete walls, providing them with a box of privacy. The only thing looking back at them were a field of trees.

Temari leaned over the railing on his balcony and to light the cigarette resting between her fingers. Sex with Shikamaru was the kind of sex that mandated a smoke afterwards. He had just subjected her body to over an hour of stress that had her crying out the entire time, and she desperately needed the satisfying calmness from the tobacco.

"What do I always do to you?" he asked as she held the poison in her lungs.

She opened her mouth just enough to exhale the smoke through her teeth before turning to him. "You always have to tease me," she softly accused. "I was already 'asking' for it but apparently... you like making me beg."

"Hn," he grunted with a smile before brushing against her hand to take the cigarette from her. Placing it between his lips, he heaved himself up to sit on the wide block of concrete that enclosed his balcony. She watched as he leisurely exhaled the smoke while staring into his apartment. After a moment, he held the cigarette in her direction to return it and casually said, "Because you love it."

"Oh, really now?" she asked as she reached up to accept it from him. "You say that with so much confidence."

"That's because I am," he smirked. "I can feel your heart rate increases the minute I tell—no, the minute I _command_ you to do something. You always start to push against me harder and well, we both know how hard it is to keep you quiet." There was a brief when he smiled quietly at his thoughts. "You smile sometimes too. It's barely there and I really have to look for it, but you do."

Temari felt her eyes slightly widen. Turning back to stare into the woods, she scoffed, "Well, shit." She took another hit off the cigarette and chuckled, "I've been told that my face is quite expressive. Good thing I don't gamble."

"It is," he assured her. He reached over and dragged his fingers up the length of her spine before reaching for the tobacco between her fingers. Her body arched forward and her lips parted as she silently gasped. "It's such a great way to get instant gratification," he smirked before bringing it to his mouth.

She turned to glare at him, but found it hard to stay mad at the sight before her. He was resting backwards against his other hand, causing the muscles in his arms to flex as he smoked. Her eyes traced the definition of his forearm and shoulders. His hair that she had ripped out of his ponytail during sex earlier danced in the wind whenever a breeze would wash over them. "Instant gratification, huh? I'll keep that in mind."

"My turn to ask the questions, troublemaker. Since when did you smoke?" His eyes quickly glanced at the cigarette he was handing back to her.

She looked at it for a few seconds before accepting it and bringing it over the railing to ash it. "I had my very first one when Sakura was extracting the poison from Kankuro. Baki saw me on the verge of hyperventilating and pulled me outside to give me one. He told me cigarettes are basically a 'sponge for anxiety.' It helped me calm down enough to go back inside and wait until Kankuro regained his consciousness. Being a jinchuriki's bodyguard and sibling can be pretty taxing," her voice began to trail off. "But this," she continued, holding the cigarette vertically in front of her face to inspect it. "This and alcohol always helped me take a step back and process just about anything that stresses me out. I'll have one here and there."

Shikamaru remained quiet for a moment as he thought about what she just told him. He originally started smoking as a way to cling onto the memory of Asuma, but now found himself smoking occasionally for the same reason as she did. "Huh. A sponge for anxiety… That's a great way to put it," he said before turning to look at her. "Are you saying that _I_ give you anxiety?"

She gave a light snort, "Screaming for an hour can be stressful on the body." Both of them started to laugh quietly together when suddenly, the wind knocked the lit cherry off her cigarette. She frowned and they watched it disappeared into the ground next to his building.

"Hpmh," he grunted. It came out more like a chuckle. "Looks like the wind isn't on your side today." He sat there with a smug smile for barey half a second when a gust of wind slammed into his back and knocked him over into his balcony. He rubbed his tailbone in attempt to soothe the pain and glared up at her through one of his eyes. _How the hell did she do that? I didn't see her lift a single finger._ He wanted to say something to her, but couldn't stop wincing in pain. The fall had hit his bone in a way that sent a numbing sensation pulsing around the point of impact.

She smiled coyly at him as she smashed the remainder of her cigarette into the nearby ash tray. "Silly crybaby," she smirked, " _the wind is my friend_." And with that, she turned on her heel and walked back into his apartment.

"Troublemaker," he grumbled at her back. Within seconds, he was sucked into a vacuum of air that made him feel as if he was sitting in the middle of Naruto's rasengan. He shielded his body by crossing his forearms in front of him and yelled at her, "Alright! I get it!"

* * *

They spent the rest of the afternoon walking through the market street to find something that would satisfy Temari's overwhelming appetite. Unlike Choji, Temari was a little more finicky about what she ate as she opted for healthier options. Being well-versed in the biology of plants, she knew exactly what she wanted. She allowed Shikamaru to lead her to the different vendors that carried the produce unavailable to her Sunagakure. He couldn't help but watch with a secret smile every time they were able to find something she wanted to try because of the way her lips would curl up in excitement. That is, until they made it to the strawberries. They were in season now that it was well into April, and mde Temari's usual intense eyes to sparkle with delight when she tried the sample offered to her by the merchant.

Next thing he knew; he was carrying a ten-pound box of strawberries back to his apartment for her. He tried to remind her that she was leaving the very next day and mentioned how he didn't want to be responsible for her waste if she didn't finish them. She just ordered him to shut up as she tucked the box under her arm and carried it against her hip. When he realized that the sand princess was actually going to be a total princess about her demands, he refused to let her take another step in the direction of his apartment until she handed the box over to him.

"I can take over if the steps are too difficult for ya," she teased as they started to ascended the first of four flights of stairs in his building.

"Tch," he grunted and furrowed his brows in annoyance. "Women are so troublesome. Always gotta say something, even when you're trying to be nice to them."

His face softened when he heard her laugh. When he turned to look at the smile that was surely on her face, he began to laugh quietly with her too.

His building only had sixteen units, four per floor. They weren't 'luxury' apartments by any means, but they weren't too far from it either. His mother had selected that particular building because it was supposed to be safe. However, it was still too new. They've yet to hire a doorkeeper which was probably how Shiho managed to slip herself in the other night. He explained to her the middle units were one-bedroom apartments, while the units on the corners had two bedrooms like his. The one at the very end of each hallway were the more upscale ones. They were larger and had a balcony that wrapped all the way around the exposed perimeter. Being a simple guy, he had originally requested the single bedroom unit. His mother insisted on _at least_ an additional room, and ultimately decided on the less extravagant two bedroom apartment for him when he refused. She pointed out that he was going to need an office if he wanted to step into his father's shoes. He hadn't planned on that, but life worked in mysterious ways and that was exactly what he was doing. The right hand man of the Hokage continues to be the leading member of the Nara household. The amount of work that came with that position required an office after all. _Mothers know best_ , her words echoed in his head. He stole a glance at the only woman in the world that was scarier than his mom when they reach his apartment at the end of the stairs.

"Give it here," she demanded, reaching out to take the box from him so that he could unlock his door. When he shook his head, she pulled back and shot him a confused look.

"Just grab the keys from my pocket," he said nonchalantly.

Raising an eyebrow at him, she joked, "So you think you've got it like that now?"

"Tch." There was that infamous scoff of his again. "I'm not trying to be perverted. It's a lot faster if you would just do it."

"I guess you're right," Temari winked at him. " _Everything_ gets done faster when I do it, lazy." She looked around to make sure no one was there to take what she was doing out of context. Digging into a man's pockets for keys would have given her etiquette tutor a heart attack. They were trained as shinobi first, but her family will never let any of their off springs forget that they are still from the Kazekage Clan and must behave as so.

"Right," he began as she fished in his pocket for his keys. "That's why your hastiness will always be your downfall." She froze to look him dead in the eye. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pinch on the sensitive skin that was towards the inside of his thigh. It made him hiss out in pain as he staggered back, almost dropping her giant box of strawberries.

"We'll see about that," she threatened him as she looped her finger around the ring that held his keys together to pull it out of his pocket. All he could do was glare at her as she opened his door.

Once inside, he sat on his couch and turned on the television as she went to wash the produce bought during their afternoon stroll. The TV was more for background noise since he found himself watching her more than the screen in front of him. He was still getting used to seeing her being so casual all the time. This was the most time they've spent together that didn't completely revolve around work or war. She was always on duty every time they've met prior to him asking her out on a date, and even then it took a few encounters for both of them to relax around each other again. His eyes followed her when she went to put everything away in his refrigerator. She might have been the cruelest kunoichi on the battlefield, but was currently emitting a very calm and serene vibe while she peacefully worked in the kitchen.

"Quit dozing off into space, you lazy ass!" she snapped at him. She had felt his gaze and looked up and caught him staring blankly her. Her scowl was replaced with laughter when she saw the dumbfounded look on his face.

Shikamaru knitted his brows together, but smiled under the hand he was using to rub his eyelids. _There she is_.

* * *

It was half-past eight when they started to get dressed for Kiba's party.

Shikamaru's fingers lazily worked their way up his black fitted button-up shirt, leaving the last two buttons undone. He reached for his smokes and shoved them in the back of his dark grey jeans and tucked Asuma's lighter into the front pocket of his shirt. Temari stepped out of the bathroom just as he slipped on a pair of black shoes.

Earlier in town, she had purchased a black turtle neck wrap-dress that ended just a little before her fingertips. It was completely sleeveless; as was the tan cardigan that she wore over it. The outfit was pulled together with a black belt that sat on the smallest part of her waist and black boots that climb a few inches above her knees.

Seeing her outside of her shinobi gear _technically_ wasn't a rare sight for him. Seeing her in something that wasn't her shinobi gear _or_ his t-shirt was. However, it wasn't her clothes that he had a hard time tearing his eyes away from. It was the color that was on her lips.

Temari had spent the entire day grazing on the box of strawberries he carried home for her. There was an impressive empty space that allowed the cardboard to peek through from under clusters of the red fruit. Even after her shower, the evidence was _still_ painted across her lips which were now a deep shade of mauve. He laughed under his breath when she reached into the refrigerator to pull out another one.

"What are you looking at?" she demanded, keeping her eyes on him as she bit into the strawberry.

Shikamaru walked over and dropped down to her height. He stroked the stubble on his chin as he inspected her lips.

When he didn't say anything, she got frustrated. "Well, what is it?"

The scent of fresh strawberries instantly clung to the air around them when she spoke. It made him chuckle quietly to himself again as he stood back up. "Nice lipstick," he answered.

Having seen her reflection when she went to put her hair in the usual pigtails, she raised her hand to hide her lips and wrinkled her nose at him. He reached out and wrapped his fingers around hers to gently pull them away from her face. "Don't," he said. "I like it."

"It doesn't look ridiculous?" she asked. Temari was no stranger to makeup. She always had to get dolled up for the holidays and festivals in Sunagakure and always enjoyed the process. It allowed for her to put her artistic flare to use, even though it always paled in comparison to Kankuro's. She still didn't know how to process the fact that her brother was better at applying makeup than she was. He was the one who taught her that her eyes were too intense to wear just lipstick. The colors from both her lips and eyes would wash out her lashes, even though they were a deep shade of brown. She remembered him lecturing her, " _You need to wear mascara to balance your face out if you're going to wear a darker lipstick!_ "

"Nope," he answered, still holding her hand. "It's subtle and looks perfect."

And then, there it was. That very rare soft smile of hers appeared on those stained lips. He tried to take as much of it in as possible before giving in to his desire to capture that smile with his own lips. When she gently cupped his jawline with her finger tips to kiss him back, he noticed that the scent of strawberries lingered on her fingers as well.

Feeling him smile against her lips, she couldn't help but giggle into their kiss. Her soft pillow lips were chilled from the last berry she just bit into. The saccharine flavor coated her entire mouth and was all he could taste, but he still couldn't get enough of it. He pushed himself deeper into the kiss so that he could taste more of her.

She used the grasp she had his jawline to gently push him back, breaking their kiss. With her other hand on his chest, she walked him into his living room until he fell onto his couch. Lacing their fingers together, she waited for him to pull her onto his lap. She brushed her nose against his before letting her tongue trace the outline of his lips, slipping it inside his mouth when she felt him sigh. His breath quickened when she started to trace zigzag patterns against the roof of his mouth. The sensitive sensation earned her a quiet moan from him as he began to dig his nails into her hips.

Feeling him telegraph his next move, she gently bit his bottom lip and yanked herself off his lap. Shikamaru always used those grips whenever he wanted her to grind into him. She gave him a victorious smile when he looked at her in a mixture of shock and frustration. No words were needed, she knew exactly what he was feeling. She had successfully set up the steps it took to catch him in their strategic game of human shogi.

"What was that for?!" he called after her as she walked away.

She stopped and smiled at him over her shoulder, "Instant gratification."

His eyes seared into her back as she disappeared into his bedroom. Once she was out of his sight, he pushed his palms into his eyes to rub them while letting out an angry groan. He continued to let his body sink into his couch, too lazy and too frustrated to adjust his ponytail.

Shikamaru's lips were still wet. He scraped them against his teeth in attempt to wipe the majority of the moisture away, but couldn't help but smile when he tasted the subtle pucker and sweetness that coated them. He wiped his lips against the back of his hand, but he still could not get rid of the taste that lingered on them.

The sweet taste of strawberries.

* * *

This chapter completely went a different direction. It was supposed to be the night at Kiba's party but I wrote so much I had to split this into two chapters. I originally wrote one paragraph to briefly go over how they killed time during the day and this fat fluff piece happened. There will be a nice reference further down the road though so there's that I suppose.

Thank you so, so much for the feedback on chapter 5. Looks like that one was a huge success! So many of you mentioned what you liked, what you'd fix, and what you'd eventually want to see which is crucial to me and my brainstorming.

 **duda dudex** – Your English is amazing! I took a peek at your profile. Eu aprendo português (brasileiro). Meu portugues nao e tao bom. … and let's just say I don't know a lot more than that…

It seems that you and a few guests would like Temari to be the dominant one… It's coming! Like I said, this here was just a fluff but I have that plan for an upcoming chapter. Rest assured!

 **But yes, readers.** Ask and (I'll try my best to make sure that) you shall receive! Hehe.

 **Nellie –** Thank you for pointing it out that Temari's been a dead fish during sex. No, really. I'm so serious. I think I got used to the writing for delicate little flowers in Twilight and 50 Shades of Yawwwwn.

 **luluxxy, whattadragg,** **KangerTop21, Chii Yoshi, and my other guests/silent viewers:** Thank you (and muchos gracias) for your kind words. Knowing that I have an audience is super motivating and makes me look forward to getting these chapters out to you guys ASAP!

Lots of love, dearests!


	7. The Raging Sandstorm

**Happy Labor Day Weekend! But I'M SO MAD.**

I was going to lump both chapters 7+8 into one long one as a special for you guys BUT MY COMPUTER CRASH AND THE FILE WAS NOT RECOVERED. I didn't lose all of my writing but I made so many edits to ch 8 that it was pretty much completely rewritten. GRRR. Sorry. You'll get two chapters this week. :)

I borrowed Yukimura Sanada and Mitsunari Ishida from Samurai Warriors 4 (I'm a Koei junkie). I love their design but will be rewriting them as shinobi so it's kinda-sorta... a crossover?

I guess this is also a good time for the "I do not own any characters in this story" disclaimer.

* * *

 **The Land of Wind's Raging Sandstorm**

Ebizo's eyes followed a fish that was drifting through the water in his sister's pond as he quietly reminisced about the times they used to spend together there. Ever since her death, he would often come there alone to carry one-sided conversations with her in his mind to help process his thoughts.

His frail body trembled when he heaved a sigh, reminding him that his old age was catching up a lot faster than he'd expected.

 _Chiyo nee-chan, it's been very quiet here without you. I'm sure even the fishes question the stillness in your pond. I guess you can say the same about the order that has finally fallen over the villages. You were right about Gaara-kun and Naruto-kun, you know? Their friendship and the undying support they have for each other will allow Suna and Konoha to lead the world into continuous peace._

His body shook from a sudden violent fit of coughs. He pulled out a handkerchief to cover his mouth and calm the wheezing sounds that were coming from deep in his lungs.

 _My body continues to grow weaker with each passing day. I'm sure it won't be long before I join you at your new pond on the other side. Though, I hope that I get to see our nation prosper before we meet again, nee-chan. The world is starting to industrialize rapidly. They're building so many machines that can do the job of multiple people in a shorter amount of time. The vacant territories in the Land of Wind are rich in resources demanded by all of these advancements. Gaara is trying his best to ensure that we build Suna with a community as its foundation and not money. He's afraid people will grow greedy. Kankuro has been an exceptional counselor. You'll be happy to know that he's filling in your shoes just fine. I've been teaching him everything we've saved for Sasori and he's been exceeding my expectations. Temari has lost some of her tomboyish demeanor as she continues to mature into a lovely young woman. The staggering resemblance between her and their mother is uncanny. You wouldn't be able to tell them apart if it wasn't for the girl's terrifying presence._

Ebizo paused and silently chuckled to himself. Feeling another cough stirring up in his lungs, he brought the piece of cloth back to his mouth and tried to suppress the wheezing sounds again.

"Ebizo-jiisama."

Ebizo turned his head to see an another elder approaching him. Behind him was a middle age officer with a giant axe strapped against his back. The sun reflected off his weapon and the bald spot in the middle of a receding hairline. His hair was styled in a similar fashion as the samurais from the Land of Iron. He was twice the height of the older men and also twice as wide. Under a thin layer of fat were dense clusters of muscle that shook the ground around him as he walked.

"Tojuro," he greeted the older man. He nodded to the officer, "Katsuie."

"You should be resting so that you can take care of that nasty cough of yours," Tojuro tried to advise him.

He faked a cough in order to hide his scoffing at Tojuro's false sense of concern. "I'll be fine."

Tojuro was second in command in the senior council. Ebizo knew that he was counting down the seconds to take over as head of the council. Tojuro was an extreme loyalist to the old government of Suna. There was no questioning his dedication to the village, but his constant undermining of the new Kazekage made Ebizo cautious of him.

"Do you know when we can expect Temari-dono's return?" the younger man asked. Katsuie Shibata was known to share the same views as Tojuro. Though an extremely talented shinobi, he had a reputation of being hotheaded and coldblooded. Ebizo only blamed himself and the other elders for that. That was the way they conditioned all of the Suna shinobi prior to Gaara taking over as the kage. He was thankful that the current generation of the Kazekage Clan appeared to have inherited their mother's compassion and were able to quickly adapt from human weapons to human beings.

"Temari has a meeting with the Hokage tomorrow and should be heading home immediately after. We can expect her back in roughly four days," Ebizo answered. He turned to the shinobi's large stature and asked, "Though, I am curious. What business do you suddenly have with her, Katsuie?"

"He is a supporting and concerned member of our office, Ebizo-jiisama. We wanted to discuss the future of the village with you," Tojuro answered for the younger man. When Ebizo didn't respond, he continued, "Karura wasn't much older than Temari was when she was betrothed to Rasa."

Ebizo shot him a confused look. "How is that relevant to the village's future?"

"Temari is an honorable shinobi, and of course we've never expected anything less as we've all had a hand in training all three of the Sand Siblings. She's a smart young lady who holds not one, but _four_ very important positions in our village," Tojuro began to explain.

"She's the Kazekage's bodyguard, a military advisor, and our ambassador. Does she hold another position that I'm not aware of?" Ebizo asked, not caring to hide the suspicion in his eyes as he stared at the other senior.

"No, Ebizo-jiisama." Tojuro continued. "You know that she is Rasa's first child, and it's just about time we start preparing for an heir."

Ebizo snickered out loud. The gesture irritated his lungs and made him cough between each laugh. "Tojuro, do you know if Temari currently fancies anyone?"

"Well…" Tojuro started to say.

Before he was able to mutter out another word, Ebizo brought his hands behind his back and turned towards the younger man. "Katsuie, do _you_ know if Temari fancies anyone?"

"A-ah," he stuttered, unsure of what to say as well. "She… she appears to be very busy. If she is interested in anyone, I haven't seen it."

"Right," Ebizo declared. "Now tell me, do you know if there's someone out there that fancies _her_? Do _you_ fancy her, Katsuie?"

"I wouldn't dare!" the officer exclaimed.

"Right again," Ebizo said. "As if her Kazekage bloodline wasn't intimidating enough, that girl isn't known as _The Land of Wind's Raging Sandstorm_ because it's a pretty nickname for a lady. Good luck finding her a suitor, let alone finding one that she would agree to marry."

"But Ebizo-jiisama, she has no choice. It is her duty," Tojuro finally stepped in again. A disgruntled expression washed over his face when another robust laughter erupted from Ebizo. "I wish you would take this seriously, Ebizo-jiisama. We are just concerned about the future of our village."

"I'm sorry," Ebizo apologized through the handkerchief he was holding over his mouth. He waited until the rumbling in his chest subsided before continuing. "I've always enjoyed talking to that young lady because of how much she reminded me of my sister. An ambitious shinobi with a cruel and calloused exterior, but an incredibly soft heart for her family and her village." He took a deep breath and looked back at the pond. "She's a firecracker like Chiyo and won't have anyone forcing a fate she did not ask for on her. You will have to make her think that marriage was a decision she made for herself."

"Her fate was decided for her the moment she was born," Tojuro grunted in annoyance. "Of course, we would want an heir directly from the Kazekage, but a child from the first born is just as ideal. She's also of age now. Gaara still has a few years."

Ebizo's pressed his lips together and frowned. Chiyo gave her life to make up for their mistakes in the past. They forced the fate of being a jinchuriki on Gaara, which ultimately forced the fate of death on his mother. He wished that the other elders weren't so stuck on their old ways. Chiyo died so that Suna can move forward from that.

"She's our first option, and Kankuro will be our fail safe," Katsuie echoed the other elder.

"I see," Ebizo said. His face sunk into a serious expression as he processed the information they were relaying to him. "Well, Temari is currently working on closing an agreement with Konoha to build that train Gaara pushed for. Knowing the Sand Siblings' relationship with the leaf's council, we can expect her to succeed. At least give her the time until that project is completed to see if she'll find someone she likes here in Suna."

"I understand," Tojuro agreed. "On that note… The second topic I would like to address is her constant absence due to her role as the ambassador. I assume it will be even more frequent seeing that she is the liaison and will most likely be the one overseeing the project. While the new chunin shinobi are nothing less of impressive, they cannot fill the shoes of a high level jonin like her. I would like to bring on additional bodyguards to take her place while she is gone. In addition to that, they can serve as her bodyguards while she's home. That will allow them to shadow her and get them accustomed to her daily tasks. It's best to get that started as soon as possible so we'll be well prepared for when she steps back into motherhood."

A smile broke the serious expression on Ebizo's face. He almost felt sorry for the other elder for underestimating the young kunoichi. _Did you hear that, Chiyo nee-chan? They think they can control her. They're in for a nasty surprise if I am right about her being just like you._

"We shall see when you present this to Gaara and the Sandstorm herself," he said as he turned to walk away. He made it a few steps past the two men bowing to him before turning over his shoulder to speak. "But," he began. "I must warn you… Temari might have taken after her mother's appearance, but she is the only one out of the Sand Siblings to inherit Rasa's temper and relentlessness."

"I am aware," Tojuro replied. "I was the one in charge of their taijutsu training when they were younger. I saw that fire in her when she excelled past her brothers."

"Then you should know that you are trying to tame the wind that's fueling that fire," Ebizo chuckled before continuing to walk away. A grunt came from Tojuro before he straightened up to follow him in silence.

Once they were out of his sight, Katsuie jumped onto the boarders surrounding Chiyo's pond and made his way to the roof of a nearby building. "Did you catch all of that?"

"Don't worry. We're not afraid the sassy princess," a light, silky voice declared from the shadows.

"Everything is currently in motion," Katsuie said, ignoring the voice. "Do you know your position in this mission, Yukimura?"

"Yes," answered another man. His voice was deep, but smooth and tranquil.

"Good." Katsuie walked over and handed them a picture of the Sand Siblings. "She will be returning in four days. We'll present you two as the new proposed bodyguards. You will use that time to gain the trust of the Kazekage. When she's here, you will shadow her and figure out ways to get close to her. Tread carefully with Kankuro as well. The painted face is meant to be deceiving. Regardless of bloodlines, they don't allow idiots into the council. Do not do anything that will rise suspicion."

A delicate, manicured hand stuck out of the shadow to accept the picture.

"The development of that train is going to take at least a year. You'll have all that time to find a way to be her betrothed," Katsuie ordered. "Once she's pregnant and out of the office, Mitsunari can replace her as a military strategist and you can take her place as the Kazekage's bodyguard until we get rid of him. When your child is born, we will have total authority in the council. We replace her as the ambassador and can finally dictate both internal and external affairs."

"Understood," the deeper voice responded.

He was answered by the sound of the wind as Katsuie vanished.

"Oi, Yukimura," said the other voice. "Are you really okay with having a child with this girl? I understand she's of the Kazekage bloodline, but we are overthrowing her family. I'm sure she's not going to submit herself or the child to you once we do that."

"Arranged marriages and bearing children have always been used as blood contracts, Mitsunari. And it does not matter what she wants. She will be compliant or she will go down with her brothers."

Mitsunari stepped out from the shadows and gracefully walked to the edge of the building. His long red and orange ombre hair danced like a flame around the delicate features on his ethereal face as he looked over the village. "But," he protested. "Your child will be a pawn in their politics."

The tails of his forehead protector floated behind him as Yukimura hoisted himself off the wall to join the other shinobi. His chin-length spiky brown hair rustled around his chiseled face from the breeze. "My child will not be a pawn. I will protect them the same way I will protect this village. Our loyalty does not lie with any specific person, but to Sunagakure itself. Katsuie and I just happen to share the same sentiment about the Kazekage. Extending our boundaries to Konoha is a dangerous and a naive move. We cannot risk that mistake and protect Sunagakure no matter what."

Mitsunari quickly glanced at his best friend before returning his gaze to the village. He didn't care about the village to the same extent as Yukimura. Mitsunari was definitely more loyal to the very few people in his life. He didn't care for anyone that didn't contribute to it and found the majority of people to be irrelevant because of this perspective. "How ironic," he smirked. His voice was so soft that it could have drifted away with the wind. "When it was Suna who has already invaded Konoha."

"More of a reason to keep them at bay," Yukimura replied. "I'm sure there are many people who still hold a vendetta against us." Crossing his arms, he closed his eyes and grunted in annoyance. "And they want to develop a transportation service that will allow Konoha shinobi to easily infiltrate our city. I'm not sure if the Kazekage's heart is in the right place, but I know for a fact that his mind isn't. Even a fool can see how idiotic that is. I will do whatever it takes to protect our village, even if that means I have to wed his sister."

Mitsunari sat himself down on the ledge of the building and examined the picture in his hand. "I guess there's still Plan B," he sighed as he traced his fingers around the blonde kunoichi's face. "Hold her hostage and then get rid of her once the Kazekage surrenders the village. Pretty clever of Katsuie to figure out that the prior kidnapping missions failed because they went straight for the jinchuriki. Attacking their loved ones is much easier and is always more devastating." He pierced his thumb through the photo, leaving a hole where Temari's head was.

"Remember not to underestimate her," Yukimura reminded him.

"Hmph," Mitsunari grunted. He shredded up the picture and scattered the pieces into the wind. "How scary can that woman possibly be?"

* * *

"You're not taking your tessen?" Shikamaru asked. He had noticed that it was leaning against the wall in his room when he went to get his keys from the nightstand.

"Don't worry, crybaby. I can still protect you without it," she said, turning over her shoulder to stick her tongue out at him.

"Always something with you, troublemaker," he muttered to himself, shaking his head as he followed her to the front door.

Temari was about to say something in rebuttal until she felt a burning sensation on the tip of her ears. She brought both her hands up and wrapped her fingers around them to feel out the heat.

"Are you alright?" he asked in concern. He dropped down to her height and inspected her face. She didn't appear to be in pain, but he was curious about the confused expression she had on.

"My ears started burning," she mumbled, rubbing her helix between her thumb and index fingers.

Without taking his eyes off her, he stood back up. "My mom told me that means someone's talking about you."

Temari shrugged it off and turned around to open his door. "Must have been when you called me a troublemaker back there," she smirked at him when they stepped into the hallway of his complex.

"It doesn't count if you can hear it," he frowned as he turned around to lock his door. As soon as he heard the faint _click_ of the deadbolt, he felt the twisting of his ear between her fingers as she yanked on it.

"Let's go!" she demanded as she started to pull him down the stairs.

"Not until you let _me_ go!" he barked at her. He felt a few small callouses on her soft skin when he tried to peel off the fingers she had curled around his cartilage.

"Okay!" she chirped as she retracted her hand. "Look at how red your ear is! Someone must be talking about you too," she joked as she turned around and continued to descend the stairs.

Shikamaru rubbed his ear in attempt to soothe the burning sensation and glared at her back as he followed her down the stairs _. Not only is she violent, but she finds humor in it…_ _She might be worse than my mom._

* * *

 **Author's notes + addressing one of my reviewers 3 :**

 **KangerTop21-** I'm glad you think that I kept Shikamaru and Temari close to their personalities in the series! I do try my best to because I'm totally in love with them as they are.

I think what I picked up on from the reading other fics is that the different authors usually write the different versions of them during specific arcs. I noticed that a few authors tend to write Temari as we see her at the chunin exams. I feel they do that when they want a more confident and brash (and stubborn) version of her. Many will write Tem and Shika post-chunin exams to capture their flirtatious banter. I'm shooting for Temari during the Blank Period when she softens up a lot more (with a little bit of my own spin of course)! Tbh, I have no idea where I'm going with Shikamaru because he's kind of in between his hiden arc and the Konoha hiden arc.

A lot of you guys have also mentioned that my fanfic has a different _feel._

I've applied a lot of my young adult life into it. A few of the conversations were either inspired by or completely ripped from events in my life. ^^;;;; I think it might project a very "slice of life" feel because that's basically what you go through in your early 20's. The last chapter of them smoking played out like a scene from the anime _Nana_ in my head. Pretty much any scenes with a lot of dialogue really...

Anyway, thanks for sticking this out with me. As I've mention, this is my first time writing a fanfic in over a decade (and writing anything that's not an email in the past 2 years bwahahaha. #adulting). It's a little everywhere but it gets my creative juices flowing and I can't find enough time in the day to write everything!

AS YOU CAN TELL, I love love love your feedback and love responding to you guys. Thanks so much for all of the support.

Lots of love~

 **Stay tuned...**  
Kiba's Party Part I: Temari vs Kiba, Shikamaru, and their cigarettes.

(I'm sorry again for not being able to include it in this chapter . T_T)


	8. Liquid Courage

Hi! I just realized that some of you guys might think all of the new characters were brought over from Samurai Warriors. I guess I should note that my fanfic is also _heavily_ based off events from Shikamaru's, Gaara's, and Konoha's story (For example: Shikamaru's date in the anime was supposed to be their second but comes off like their first one). I guess my fanfic contain spoilers from the novel for those who still have yet to read them.

For those who are not familiar with Gaara's story, Tojuro is actually a real character and I will be writing him as close to how is was portrayed in the book as possible. Ebizo is real of course… not sure if anyone remembers him since his appearance was so brief.

Yukimura, Mitsunari, and Katsuie are borrowed from the game. I mean, _technically_ they're real historic people but I'm using the game's design and portrayal of them.

I do not own Naruto's or Koei's Characters.

* * *

 **Liquid Courage**

Kiba's family often trained with their ninken in the woods, so they invested in a rather grand cabin just on the outskirts of Konoha. It was tucked away behind some hills, making it the perfect secluded environment to contain the howls of shinobi dogs. It didn't take very long for Kiba to take advantage of the isolated area for his infamous parties.

"You're here!" Ino beamed when she saw Shikamaru and Temari stepping onto the property. The purple crop top that she had paired with her leather mini skirt looked more like a high neck sports bra as it struggled to cling on to her waist when she stood up to wave them over. Sitting next to her was Sai, who as per usual, was dressed in a similar fashion as she was. He traded his shinobi gear for a plain black fitted t-shirt that ended just right above his navel and an even more fitted pair of black pants. He turned in the direction she was looking at and smiled when he saw the pair approaching.

Ino's stomach fluttered at the sight of the two walking towards her. They were together so often throughout all these years that it was weirder to see Temari without Shikamaru whenever she was in Konoha. Because of this, no one even batted an eyelash at the fact that they've been arriving and leaving together the entire week… except for her.

Shikamaru had never once expressed any interest in girls since they were born, so Ino was ecstatic for her life long friend when she found out about him and Temari. The more she thought about their dynamic, the more his lack of interest in other women made sense to her. She was sure every girl paled in comparison to the Suna kunoichi from the moment he was rescued by her.

Her mind quickly flashed back to the time she accompanied Shikamaru in returning the favor to the Sand Siblings. She had never seen him take on a mission with so much urgency before. She remembered complaining that she was exhausted from the speed they were traveling at and the way Shikamaru unintentionally ignored her because of how focused he was. The whole thing was so bizarre to her until they finally arrived at Temari's side. That was when she witnessed the undeniable chemistry between the two. Both of them might have been intelligent enough to be respected political members, but she reveled in the fact that _she_ was the first one to pick up on the spark between the two.

Choji was digging in his red track jacket for a chocolate bar until the familiar presence made him look up. "Shikamaru!" he exclaimed happily before coyly shifting his gaze to the blonde he was with. "And… Lady Temari I see…" he snickered as he continued to dig for the candy.

Shikamaru bashfully rubbed the back of his head and looked away towards the the fire. He saw that Choji was already roasting 6 marshmallows on one stick and a fish that looked fresh from the river next to them on the other. Shino sat next to him, hiding under the same coat he always wore. He was silently staring at the fire with so much intent that it made the very nervous Akamaru whine in concern. Kiba and Naruto were sitting on a log across from them, obnoxiously slamming their beer bottles on top of each other's. The goal was to bring down a swift strike that would cause the carbonated liquid to erupt out of the bottle, forcing the loser to chug their entire drink.

"Quick! The girls are taking a picture. Let's go join them," Ino squealed. She grabbed Temari's hand and excitedly dragged her to the other girls further down the river. The Suna kunoichi shot Shikamaru a nervous look as they darted past him.

He just shrugged at her and smiled at the way his best friend was interlocking fingers with her. Ino was the type of person who always showed her affection for her friends through physical contact. She always held onto their arms whenever she'd walk with him or Choji. He used to think the three of them looked ridiculous marching through town with their arms laced together. Because he was very adamant about his personal space, it took him several years to get use to her growing up. Now, he found the gesture a little comforting. It wasn't anything unusual to see Ino hanging off someone she was close to or holding hands with one of the girls around the village. It was something girls commonly did when they didn't want to lose each other in crowded places, but Ino was the type of person to simply do it out of endearment. After seeing the positive reaction garnered from their peers, Sai started to imitate his girlfriend's behavior. Unfortunately, the boys didn't appreciate his attempt to hold their hands, much to his confusion. Naruto was the only one kind enough to humor him.

Shikamaru stole another glance at the girls as they huddled together to fit in front of Tenten's camera. He secretly laughed under his breath when he saw the stiffness in Temari's posture. Ino was still holding her hand as they squatted down to fit in the shot. She was exactly like him when it came to her personal bubble and he was willing to bet that she was nothing less of confused on how to feel about the way Ino was lacing their fingers together.

"Fuck yeah!" Kiba roared and erupted into a fit of laughter, sloshing some of his beer onto his maroon pullover sweater and grey pants. He had successfully gotten Naruto's beer to foam over the neck of the bottle. Panicked, the jinchuriki scrambled to empty the contents of the bottle in his mouth, but not before spilling at least a third of it on his orange long sleeve shirt. "Atta boy," Kiba praised him before doing the same himself. His wiped the beer dripping from the corner of his mouth on the back of his sleeve and belched.

"You're an animal, Kiba." Neji said sarcastically as he approached them. Hinata sprung from his side over to Naruto after seeing the look of discomfort on his face. She knelt over and rubbed his back to soothe him. It apparently worked because he opened his mouth to let out a drawn out burp and dropped his head back as he slumped into Hinata's arms.

"Thanks!" Kiba grinned back at Neji. The cooler next to him creaked loudly when he opened it and squatted down to fish out two new beers.

"That wasn't a compliment," Neji rubbed his head and sighed, but was unable to hide the smile that crept on his lips. Despite his immature antics, Kiba seemed to have this certain charm that made everything he did hilarious… for the most part.

"Sorry, Neji. I guess I'm just used to hearing that from the ladies. It's usually a compliment when they tell me that," Kiba shrugged. He cracked opened the beers and handed one to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru laughed at the death glare Neji was now giving Kiba as he accepted the drink. He rotated the bottle around to read the label. "Hitachino Nest White Ale. Nice."

"Of course, your highness!" Kiba exclaimed in a high-pitched voice as he pretended to curtsy in a dress. "Can't forget your fancy-shmancy craft beers."

"Tch," Shikamaru grunted. "Don't act like you're not a connoisseur yourself."

Kiba shared a laugh with him before going tapping their bottles together for a cheers. After taking a long swig, he cupped his hand around Shikamaru's ear and quietly asked, "Do you still carry those cigarettes around with you?" When Shikamaru nodded at him, he motioned his beer at the path that lead to the back of his giant cabin.

Once they were an earshot away from the group, Kiba scrunched up his nose and obnoxiously sniffed the air around him. "Damn, dude. Again?" he asked and jokingly shoved his nose into Shikamaru's hair to take a hard whiff.

"Get out of here!" Shikamaru laughed. He shoved Kiba hard enough to make him stumble off the pathway.

"You guys just can't keep your grubby paws off each other, eh?" Kiba asked, still snickering as he wandered back next to Shikamaru's side.

"No. It's pretty great," Shikamaru half-jokingly admitted. He smiled and brought the bottle to his lips for a quick sip.

"My man!" Kiba declared loudly. His laugh echoed through the trees as he gave Shikamaru a few firm pats on his back. The young men continued to chuckle amongst themselves as they ascended the stairs to the large deck behind the cabin. Shikamaru placed his beer on the railing Kiba was leaning against to dig in his back pocket for the little cardboard box. He flipped the lid open with his index finger as he held it up for the other shinobi before grabbing one for himself. Then he reached into the front pocket of his shirt for Asuma's lighter. After flicking up open and igniting it, he watched as Kiba leaned in the flame and puffed on his cigarette to light it before bringing it to his own face to do the same.

"Don't stare at me while I suck on the stoge," Kiba joked, his voice strained from keeping in the smoke. Leaning against the railing again, he tossed his head back and released the poison from his lungs. "People might think we're gay for each other," he laughed.

Shikamaru lowered the hand that was holding his cigarette and scoffed. "What's wrong with being gay?" he smirked.

"Nothing," Kiba said before taking another swig from his beer. "I adore the gays. I just don't need girls thinking _we're_ gay. It'll ruin my game with the ladies."

"Of course," Shikamaru chuckled. He brought his arm over the railing and flicked on the end of his cigarette, watching as the ashes fell into the bush behind them.

"But you don't have to worried about that now," Kiba began. "Right? You going steady with Kankuro's sister?"

"Hn," Shikamaru grunted. He carefully folded his arms in front of him, avoiding the embers at the end of his cigarette. "Not quite."

"Just sex then? Damn. I knew it! You guys spent so much time with each other all these years," he laughed before taking another sip. He placed a foot on the railing behind him sagged his weight against it. "Sooo, fuck buddies?" he asked before bringing his hand up to take another drag.

"No…" Shikamaru said. He rubbed his palm against one of his eyes and sighed. "We're just going to see where it goes for now."

"That's cool. Nothing wrong with that," Kiba smiled. "But are you not afraid of Gaara, man? He literally has a jutsu that creates personalized coffins! You'll die. Painfully."

"I'll hide behind Naruto if he comes for me," Shikamaru joked. He reached for his beer and drew out another hit of the cigarette before drinking it. It soothed the burning sensation in his throat.

Kiba snorted. "But, dude. Are you even _allowed_ to date her? Don't they still have a monarchy system or whatever over there? I mean, Tsunade-hime got to date whoever she wanted but our politics are a bit different here."

"Hmm." Shikamaru wasn't exactly sure what to tell him. This wasn't something he hadn't already reviewed a million times in his head. Suna kept their internal affairs very private, and he wasn't exactly sure how they would handle a situation like that. He wanted to bring it up to her, but decided the topic was too serious considering they've only started to see each other outside of work. "I've been meaning to find out," he shrugged.

"As you've always said, 'girls are just troublesome' man," Kiba laughed, trying to promptly change the subject. He had just picked up on the girls' scent and realized that they were rapidly approaching, albeit a lot later than he usually would have due to his buzz and the smell of the burning tobacco.

Being a personal bodyguard for the Kazekage, Temari had what Matsui referred to as "hypersensitive hearing." Both her and Kankuro can hear a pin drop in a different room. It was a skill they've developed in training in order to protect Gaara. She had heard their entire conversation over the girl's giggling, and Kiba was asking all of the right questions. Getting married and preparing for the next generation is a delicate procedure in Suna. She knew she had been irresponsible by ignoring these facts as she continued get swept up by whatever was going on between her and Shikamaru. " _Sober Temari's problem_ , "she kept telling herself. " _Worry about it once you leave"_ and " _Live in the Now"_ were the other mantras she continued to recite to herself. She had devoted her entire life to fighting for her village and desperately wanted just this one thing for herself, even if it turned out to be temporary. Believing that she could handle it, she decided to give into her impulse just for that week.

"Oi, it stinks!" Tenten yelled as she walked towards the boys. She pulled her white tank top up to cover her nose as she dug into the side pocket her brick-red cargo pants for a small folding fan.

"Sorry, ladies!" Kiba apologized. Keeping his back to the railing, he turned and look over his shoulder at them. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Sakura needs to pee!" came Ino's voice as she emerged from the path with Temari and Sakura behind her. Sakura's white high-waisted pleated skirt bounced from under her burgundy sleeveless button up shirt as she was fidgeting nervously to ease her full bladder.

"That–a–way," Kiba said, pointing the cabin.

"Thanks!" Sakura quickly yelped and rushed inside.

The remaining girls joined them on the deck while they waited for her. Ino smacked Shikamaru on the back of his head as they walked past them to the opposite end to get away from the smell of their cigarettes. She hated that he smoked, even if it was only an occasional thing. She kept telling him that their sensei didn't die so that he could kill himself with lung cancer.

"Hey!" he snapped her.

"That shit's gross," she declared and stuck her tongue out in disgust.

"That's why we're back here and not out there," Kiba retorted. He took an extra long drag and blew the smoke in their direction.

Temari could see the vein on Ino's forehead twiching as her body shook with anger when Kiba laughed. She smiled to herself before placing her arm in front of her, gesturing her to stand back. "Don't worry," she assured the girls. "I got this." With that, she reached grabbed the smaller tessen that Tenten was using to fan the air.

"Woaaaaah," Kiba said sarcastically. "Are you going to fan the smoke away while cooling me off at the same time? So nice of you!"

Shikamaru immediately tensed up. Remembering the vacuum of air she had put him in earlier with just the wave of her hand, he quickly put out his cigarette and reached for his beer to make a run for it.

Temari opened the fan with a flick of her wrist and brought it across her body. She held it flat against her hip and flashed them a dangerous smile.

 _Shit. Shit. Shit._

He knew he couldn't outrun her. He ducked to the ground and covered his head just as Temari gracefully yanked the tiny fan upwards. A powerful gust of wind shot out from the fan and blasted right through them. It caused Shikamaru to fly back and hit the railing, which he hung on for his dear life. A look of pure terror appeared on Kiba's face right before he was flung over the railing and into the bush below them. Her wind went on to rattle the trees in their direction for several kilometers. Once the breeze finally settled, she slapped the edge of the fan against her palm to close it with a content smirk on her face.

Ino was speechless as she examined the scene before her. She wanted so desperately to laugh and be impressed, but she was too terrified to feel anything else.

Tenten, on the other hand, began to snicker at the boys from behind her hand. "Thanks," she beamed at Temari as she accepted the fan back. "The smell is all gone now!"

"What's going on?!" cried another female's voice. Temari immediately recognized who it was. She watched as woman with blonde hair as fair than Ino's, though with an odd green tint, rushed up the stairs to the deck. Her oddly round-shaped glasses almost fell off her nose when she sprang to Shikamaru's side. "Shikamaru! Oh my god! Are you okay?!" She frantically held on to his bicep to stand him up, "Let me help you!"

"I'm fine, Shiho." Shikamaru muttered. He pretended to dust off his shirt so that he could push her hands off, but she just tightened her grip. He couldn't help by find the irony in the situation. There, next to him, was a simple girl who was desperately concerned about his wellbeing. Yet, the owner of the smile he was so fond of was standing across the deck and admiring the damage she had inflicted on him.

"Over here. I need help…" Kiba squawked from the bushes, but Shiho simply ignored him and kept her gaze on Shikamaru.

Ino's eyes nervously shifted between Temari and Shiho. The Suna shinobi looked completely unfazed. In fact, Ino could have sworn that she was trying her best not to laugh. _How could she not be infuriated? I would have murdered the girl if that was Sai_ , she thought to herself _. Maybe she's just really good at maintaining her tough exterior_ … She tried to diffuse the situation. "O-oi, Shiho!" she waved at her. "You're here too?"

"Mhmm," Shiho replied without looking away from Shikamaru.

"I think the girls are doing another round. Why don't you come with us?" Ino asked in attempt to pull her away from Shikamaru. She started to loop her hand around Shiho's arm to walk with her, but Shiho just slapped her hand away.

"H-hey!" Ino snapped as she pulled back her hand.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked when she walked outside to the commotion.

"Shots!" Tenten cheerfully answered as she pumped her fist in the air. She grabbed Temari's hand before running to Sakura to do the same and dragged them back to the front of the cabin. Shikamaru's eyes met Temari's as she was hauled away for the second time that night. He wanted so desperately to hate the way they sparkled with mischief, but couldn't bring himself to when he saw the playful smile on her lips.

 _I tried_ , he heard Ino's voice when she placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

 _Thanks_ , he thought back. He watched her shrug at him before trotting off to join the other girls.

"Hey! Help me!" Kiba cried wearily. The bush next to the patio started to shake violently as he thrashed around. Akamaru came running when he heard his master's cry. Shoving his face into the bush, the pup fished around until he was able to latch to the hemline of Kiba's pants to drag him out.

Shikamaru sighed and rubbed him temples. "How troublesome…"

* * *

About an hour later, the guys were watching a pushup contest between Kiba, Naruto and Lee with great amusement by the fire. Shiho was still looming over Shikamaru in concerned while he was discussing something with Neji. Next to her cheering on the pushup competition were two girls that Sakura had invited from her hospital.

The rest of the girls were all gathered under a large tree that had string lights wrapped around the trunk and branches. Ino, Hinata, and Tenten were discussing the floral arrangements for the wedding while Sakura filled Temari in on her busy schedule at the hospital since the war.

"The work is a lot less chakra intensive, but my schedule is so much more hectic. I'm exhausted by the time I get home so I just knock out," she explained. Her green eyes squinted at the remaining alcohol in her cup before she brought it up to her lips to polish it off.

"Yeah, the war did keep things interesting…" Temari sighed, looking down into her own cup of gin and ice. She was usually a tequila drinker. However, since the agave plant was native to Suna, it was rare to find a decent one when she was traveling. She often settled for the gin they carried in Konoha for its herbal and floral taste. "All we seem to talk about now is money and where to allocate it," she continued. "But hey, I'm sure staying busy keeps your mind off Sasuke."

"Yeah, it does." Sakura blushed.

Temari gave the girl credit for being so loyal to the Uchiha. She had just learned earlier that Sakura only saw him a few times a year, which wasn't even a fraction of how many times she met up with Shikamaru simply for work. "Sakura, may I ask you a question?"

"Sure," she answered as she walked a few paces over to the table that held all the alcohol.

"How do you handle practically never seeing him?" the Suna kunoichi asked as she watched Sakura refilled her cup with a pink premade concoction.

"Temari-san…" Sakura began as she swayed back to the bench they were at. A few drops of her drink sloshed out of the cup and onto the ground as she turned around to sit down.

Temari examined the medical-nin's face. Sakura's cheeks were rosier than her hair at this point. She was drunk.

"I know a strong woman like you might think it's pathetic of me to wait on Sasuke-kun, e-especially after everything that happened between us," she continued. "But I can't help the way I feel… even though we've both tried to assassinate each other…" she paused and chuckled to herself. "We were separated for years, but I never stopped caring for him. People still tell me that I… I deserve better. A lot of people in town still resent him for everything that he did… But even if I were to leave him and fall in love with someone else, I would never love them the way I love Sasuke-kun. It just wouldn't be fair to the other person." There was a sudden sadness in her eyes as she looked down at the floor. "I know it's hard to understand… but I will never love anyone the way I love him."

Temari reached out and placed a comforting hand on Sakura's arm. She had developed a small affinity for the leaf kunoichi ever since she saved Kankuro's life. "Sakura," she began. "You don't have to explain your feelings to me, or to anyone for that matter. That is your business and no one else's. Besides, have you forgotten who my brother is? I'll be a hypocrite if I didn't believe that everybody deserves a chance at redemption."

Sakura's face slightly scrunched up as if she was about to cry. Despite having the support from a few of her friends, the majority of the village continued to criticized her devotion to Sasuke. She had totally forgotten about Gaara and was glad there was someone out there who could empathize with her. "Thank you, Temari-san…" she whispered.

"Please don't tell me you're an emotional drunk," Temari said as she pretended to pull away nervously. "I don't do tears."

Sakura looked up at to sky and took in a deep breath before turning to grin at her, "I'm good!"

"Good," Temari smiled. "But you tell me if the asshole tries to kill you again. 'Cause _then_ we'll have a problem."

"Alright!" Sakura beamed and laughed. She took another sip of her drink before saying, "You know, they say home is where the heart is, and the fact that he comes home to me is more than I can ask for."

Temari smiled back at her as she thought about it. Her mind quickly flashed to her brothers, causing her to feel homesick for the first time that week. Turning her head back to watch the boys around the fire, she started to ponder. Would loving from afar work for her and Shikamaru the way it did for Sakura and Sasuke? She sat there for a few minutes until a very still kunoichi on the other bench caught her peripheral vision.

She looked over to see Tenten staring in the direction of the bonfire as well while Ino was cheerfully chatting away with Hinata next to her. Temari traced her gaze and saw that she was staring at the other Hyuga shinobi. He was sitting next to Shikamaru in white v-neck shirt with sleeves that ended just right below his elbows. His hair was pulled back into the usual tidy low ponytail that stretched all the way down to his dark brown cargo shorts. Temari found it amusing how Neji always managed to look so prim and proper that it made even her, out of all people, self conscious about her appearance. Turning her attention back to Tenten, she asked, "See someone you like?"

"H-huh?!" Tenten turned her head to see both Temari and Sakura looking at her.

"You should just go talk to him," Sakura edged on. She had noticed Temari looking back and forth between the guys and Tenten, and was quick to figure out what the blonde was examining when she spoke.

Tenten knew she was caught staring at Neji from the way both the pair of green eyes were intensely staring at her. "I wouldn't even know where to begin… He's not a very romantic guy," she admitted.

"Hey. I know," Temari declared and stood up. Ino and Hinata paused their conversation turned their attention to the confident voice. "I'm going to get you some liquid courage."

"What's that?" Tenten blinked at her in confusion.

Temari waltz over to her and took the plastic cup she had in her hand. She brought it to her nose. _Yuck, fruity vodka… and she still mixed it with juice…_ she thought to herself when she sniffed it. She playfully stuck out her tongue in disgust and dumped it in the bush nearby.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Tenten called after her.

The blonde kunoichi ignored her and made her way over to the table with the alcohol. Her eyes scanned the selection until it found the 190 proof vodka that someone had surprisingly already gotten into and poured just about a shot worth of alcohol in the cup. Knowing well that even a seasoned drinker would have trouble with shooting this particular strong liquor, she grabbed a soda from the cooler before shoving the drinks into Tenten's hands. "There you go. Liquid courage. Just drink that and we'll go join the boys."

"But what would I even say to him?!" Tenten protested.

"Just be yourself," Temari smiled. "A boy's not worth it if you have to pretend to be someone you're not. That shot should be _juuust_ enough to help you be a little more forward than usual."

Hinata smiled when she pieced together what was going on. Tenten's excessive concern for Neji during their prior conversations gave her secret crush on him away quite some time ago. "Neji nii-san has always enjoyed spending time with you," she chimed in. "You were the only one he requested to help him prepare for the chunin exams, remember?"

Tenten turned around to the voice that joined in on their conversation. When she saw Hinata's reassuring smile, she looked forward in the direction of the fire with a new determination in her eyes. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Alright," she said when she opened them again. "Let's do this."

* * *

 **VERY LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE(S)…**

Hi lovelies!

Thanks for being so patient! Here's part one for ya! Do you like seeing the other characters? Temari's interaction with them is crucial for the serious scenes several chapters down the road (way, way down).

I wanted to throw in a description about the music that's playing at the party but I wasn't sure if it was going to fit the setting or not so I deleted it… The Narutoverse is suuuuuuch a weird mix of feudal japan and the modern world. You have the old Japanese architecture and then you have VCRs and refrigerators… Then there's Killer B so rap music exists… So… Is it safe to assume that the kids listen to rap and hip-hop and rock and pop in the Naruto universe? The entire time I wrote this chapter, I had Foster The People's _Pumped Up Kicks_ playing in the background for me. Not so much for the lyrics, but for the upbeat tune. What do you think?

I have plans for new ShikaTema fics. I wanted to do a Vampire/Werewolf/Witch/whatever one because Halloween is around the corner and no matter how many corny vampire movies/shows the world continues to spit out, I'll always be in love with the lore. However, this one will take **_a lot_** of planning because I will have to put a shit ton of thought into who is what and then lineages and then the plot itself.

The other one I have in mind is an AU world where they're all young professionals in New York City. Like, Sex and the City meets Gossip Girl meets How I Met Your Mother. Writing adult humor and drama is a lot easier than creating my own mythical universe.

I'm still heavily focused on this fanfic but my momentum might slow down soon. The next few chapters include a lot of realizations and reflections and most likely another lemon (which I struggle with because I'm still verrrrry uncomfortable/shy with writing them!) and will be a lot harder for me.

Thank you everyone else for your kind words and support. I'm so, so, so excited to write this for you. I would update even faster but I can't find enough time in the day to get shit done. (I'm literally away from home 9AM-9:30PM on weekdays and all I wanna do is write everything doooooown. I have the entire plot planned out already!)

PS: Anyone got a friend like Ino? I based her off my very best friend who is exactly like this (though calmer than Ino in demeanor). I'm huge on my personal bubble and only allow very specific people in and I kinda see that in Shika and Tema. I really wanna capture the relationship of Ino-Shika-Cho and the Sand Siblings in this fic.

 **Wiceriene –** Teehee... Are you glad there's some characters that hate the smoking too?

 **Whattadragg** – Hahaha, if the new antagonists got you riled up then does it mean I did a good job with them? You detected right about the _next_ chapter. ;)

 **Stay Tuned…**

Temari vs Kiba II

And…

Shikamaru's Epiphany


	9. Love

Weeeee! Last chapter was long, huh? I really wanted to squeeze as much as the party into that chapter as possible because I felt it was running really long. It's still carrying on in this chapter too. o_o;

I really wanted to capture the totally lax-vibe post war where they have a little gap to act their age so uhm, if they're coming off like alcoholics... It's because two days was spread across 9 friggin chapters. o_o 10 counting the next one as well.

That's all for announcements. Notes and rambles will be at the bottom as per usual.

* * *

 **Love**

 _"Kampai!"_

Shikamaru found himself slightly cringing from the burning sensation of the bitter whiskey hitting the back of his throat. He always preferred a crisp, refreshing beer and never cared for liquor, but he was getting pressured by the other guys for yet another toast they were making in honor of Naruto's engagement. Lee was the only one permitted to sit out on the shot, although that was probably decided in everyone's best interest.

 _Are we going to keep drinking until that fool gets married?_ He looked over to their future Hokage to see the rapid reddening of his cheeks.

"Oi, Naruto…" Shikamaru called over to him. "How much have you had to drink so far?"

"T-the beer Kiba made m-me chugged and… and…" Naruto slurred. He scratched his head as he tried to recall everything he drank. "Uhm…I.. I think half of another beer… that I lost somewhere… Then another half of a beer before this shot!"

Shikamaru sighed and rubbed his temples. "Alright, mister. Let's pace it out with water for the rest of the night."

"Naw!" Kiba yelled. "I'm going to let him be the future Hokage! He has to keep up with us if he wants to lead this village!"

"No way, Kiba." Shikamaru grunted.

Kiba ignored him and turned to Naruto. "C'mon, Naruto. Play a drinking game with me."

"U-uhm...heh..." Naruto laughed nervously at the instigator.

"Don't you suck at drinking games?"

The guys turned around to see Temari leading a squad of Konoha kunoichi towards them. Ino and Sakura gave Tenten a discreet nudge in Neji's direction and watched as she stumbled up to him. Once Temari saw that she was settled by his side, she directed her attention back to Kiba. "My brother wiped the floor with you last time."

"No!" he snarled back at her. "Your brother cheated! He must have used his chakra to control the ball!"

Temari smirked at him, "I'm tired of you complaining about my family. How about I settle the score for Kankuro?"

"You're on, Warrior Princess!" Kiba exclaimed with a smile on his face. He respected anyone who challenged him with drinking games.

* * *

Shikamaru watched as the two of them engage in a game of flip cup with a slightly terrified look on his face. Temari had insisted on playing with shots because she claimed she didn't want to mix liquor with beer. Not one to turn down a challenge, Kiba happy obliged.

The crowd around them got riled up when they reached their fourth and final cup. Temari and Kiba grew tense as they hunched over the table. They flipped their cups with proficiency and watched as they landed at the same time. The shinobi around them roared while the two challengers stood there with a dissatisfied look on their faces.

Shikamaru continued to stare at them wide-eyed in silence. _This girl is crazy._

"Damn it!" Kiba cursed, slamming his fist on the table.

Temari just stared at the cups, unimpressed. "Tied…" she mumbled.

Kiba closed his eyes and huffed a long, exaggerated sigh. When he opened them again, he smiled at her and extended his hand. "Not too shabby… for a woman."

Temari stared at his hand for a few seconds before bringing her hands to her hips.

"You too with the gender roles?" she grunted, rolling her eyes over to Shikamaru. She let out a sigh herself before reaching out to accept his handshake. "Now you owe me a rematch too," she smirked.

"You got it!" Kiba smiled as he shook her hand.

"Alright, you. That's enough."

Temari heard Shikamaru's voice as he grabbed her shoulders from behind to pull her away from the table. Due to her slightly intoxicated state, she stumbled back and fell into into arms and landed against his chest. Although it only took them a second to straighten themselves out, feeling his broad chest against her back was enough to send sparks down her spine. It was the first time they've made any physical contact since arriving at the party.

"We… should go…" he muttered quietly. "Meeting in the morning, remember?"

"Right," she agreed. "But I need to go to the bathroom first."

It was partially true. In addition to emptying her bladder, she needed a breather after feeling his arms around her. She hated how it barely took anything for him to make her lose her composure.

 _And he didn't even do it intentionally!_ She screamed at herself as she marched towards the bathroom.

Shikamaru watched as she sped towards the back of the cabin completely flustered.

 _She felt it too then_ , he smiled to himself. He turned around and walked over to his friends to let them know that they were leaving.

"Aww, not yet!" Ino pouted at him.

"We have to wake up pretty early to meet with Kakashi," he explained to her.

"Don't bother," Sai chuckled quietly. "Kakashi-sensei is known to be notoriously late."

"Maybe with his students, but I think he treats his role as the Hokage a little different… He is meeting with Suna's ambassador after all," Shikamaru said with a smile.

"I should go too… It's going to be a busy day at hospital tomorrow and I should rest," Sakura sighed. She grabbed her water bottle and hoisted herself off the log she was sitting on.

"I'll walk you, Sakura!" Lee said, running up to her.

"Thanks, Lee." She smiled warmly at him. "You're still keeping your promise to always take care of me after all these years, huh?"

"You bet!" He smiled, giving her his usual endearing thumbs-up.

"Alright," came Temari's voice as she walked up to the group.

"Wait! Group picture before Temari leaves," Ino ordered. "Gather around Naruto, everyone!" She pointed at the drooling shinobi who was nodding off against a log.

"Oh, hell yah!" Kiba laughed as he sped behind Naruto. He made doggy ears with his hands behind the jinchuriki's head. Akamaru chased after Kiba and sat next to him, panting heavily.

"The nine-tailed beast jinchuriki, but sad one-shot wonder…" Shino sighed and chuckled to himself.

"Quick, everyone go!" Tenten instructed her friends as she fussed with her tripod.

Ino grabbed Sai and shoved her way against Shikamaru's back until he crashed into Temari.

"Oi!" He turned around to yell at her, but she just grinned back at him as she continued to push them harder until they were sandwiched between her and Choji for the picture.

His eyes found their way to Temari's as he shot her an apologetic look. She just shrugged and smiled at him. Shikamaru looked at Ino and heaved a defeated sigh before turning to smile back to Temari. They hadn't notice that everyone was already posing for the picture until the flash went off. Both of them turned to look at the camera in confusion as the group slowly started get up from their poses.

Hinata looped her arm around Naruto's waist and brought him up to his feet. "We should get going too," she smiled at the group.

"Let me help you, Hinata-sama." Neji offered as he made his way towards her.

"No!" Hinata said abruptly. Her cousin stopped dead in his tracks and looked at her in confusion. "Uhm… Neji nii-san, Lee is walking Sakura home and…" her voice trailed off as she look over her shoulder.

Neji followed her eyes to see that she was looking at Tenten sealing her camera and tripod into one of her scrolls.

"Oh…" he said. He turned back Hinata. "Will you be okay carrying him?"

"I'm awaaake…" Naruto squawked. His head was still buried in the purple locks around her neck.

Hinata glanced at him and giggled before turning back to her cousin. "Yes, Neji nii-san. You forget that I'm not that weak little girl anymore thanks to you."

"Understood," he said, smiling back at her. "Please be safe."

"I will," she nodded at him. She watched with a smile as he made over to Tenten.

"Shikamaru!" Shiho called as she ran up to him. "I heard you were leaving!"

"Oh, uh. Yeah." He muttered, turning away to scratch the back of his head nervously.

"I'm leaving too," she smiled. "Can you walk me home?"

"Um…" He pointed his thumb over to Temari. "Can't. You know. Duty calls."

A disappointed frown replaced the eager smile that was on her face. "Ah, that's right…"

"We live in the same part of town," Sakura smiled over to Shiho. "Lee and I can walk you home," she offered.

"Well…" Shiho muttered as she glanced over to Shikamaru.

"You know," Ino said as she walked over to them holding Sai's hand. "Temari is actually a bodyguard. So in reality, she's the one escorting _you_ ," she laughed nervously at Shikamaru in attempt to cut through the awkward tension in the air.

"Yeah, _I'm_ the bodyguard." Temari echoed as she waved him off with her hand. "I can take care of myself if you need to go."

Ino started at Temari in horror as Shiho perked up again. _What the hell is she doing?! She's making it worse!_

Shikamaru furrowed his brows and grunted as reached over and assertively grabbed her wrist.

"How troublesome… You know that's not how this works," he grumbled as dragged her past his friends.

"H-hey!" she blurted out, feeling the heat rising to her cheeks as she trailed behind him.

"Poor Temari," Tenten laughed. "Her arm must be falling out of its socket from being hauled around all night."

"A..ayy…" Naruto groaned as he lifted his head off Hinata's shoulder. "Did I see Shikamaru holding that Suna nee-san's hand…?"

"No," Ino answered him while she watched Shikamaru disappeared into the woods with a very flustered Temari. "Not yet…" she quietly added with a smile.

* * *

Shikamaru continued to hold onto her as they made their way down the path that led away from the cabin

"Are you trying to hook me up with other women?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

"What am I supposed to say?" she giggled. " _'Don't touch my boyfriend_?'"

"W-well…" he stammered. It was much too soon for labels, right? He remembered that Ino dated Sai for almost a month before they became official.

The four shots she took at the end of the party suddenly decided to hit her all at once, causing her to stumble over her feet when he loosened he loosened his grip on her wrist. She wrapped her arms around his ribcage to catch herself when she fell into him.

Shikamaru quickly lifted up his arms up to prevent her head from falling into his elbow.

"Hey! Are you okay…?" he asked in concern.

Temari found her footing, but kept her arms around his ribcage.

"Yeah…" she answered quietly.

She continued to hold onto him as they stood there in silence. She wasn't drunk enough that she needed to rely on him for support, but she found it hard to relinquish the comforting feeling she got from being close to him. Her shy eyes remained glued to the floor so that they wouldn't come in contact with his.

Shikamaru stared down at her and waited to see what she was going to do next. When she didn't move from her position, he realized that she must have wanted to stay there just as much as he wanted her to. A smile tugged on his lips as he lowered his arms and wrapped the one next to her around her shoulders.

She remained silent and leaned her head against his chest as they continued to walk back to his apartment. Why was this suddenly so hard for her? Even though she's spent the past few days basically living with him, she still found moments where she would retract into a shy and bashful version of her that she didn't recognize. Was it because they were in public? Her eyes scanned the streets when they made in back into the village. Everything was dark and empty due to the late hour.

"If anyone asks… we'll just tell them that Temari of the Sand is secretly a drunkard," he joked, almost as if he heard her thoughts.

Temari frowned and pinched the skin on the side of his ribcage.

"Ow! What?! It's not far from the truth given your wild game of liquor flip cup," he grunted as he rubbed the inflicted area with his free hand. When she only responded with a giggle, he simply rolled his eyes and smiled at the dark street in front of him.

Walking her up the stairs in his building quietly proved to be a harder task than he'd anticipated. She climbed the steps noisily and laughed every time they bumped into the walls. Being under the influence of alcohol himself, he was also guilty of contributing to the commotion they were causing in the hallway before his door.

"Shhh," he shushed her while trying to contain his own laughter. "Normal people are sleeping."

Keeping his arm around her shoulders, he dug into his pockets for the keys and unlocked the door.

She laughed again when they fell past his door once it was opened. Her eyes caught the dent that she had left on his cabinetry the other day with her tessen. "What happened here?" she asked as she ran her fingers across the groove. "This is a piece by Noguchi. I can tell by the minimalistic design. It must have been expensive."

Shikamaru looked over at her as she inspected the damage she had unknowingly caused.

"Someone dropped something pretty big on it," he answered.

Temari knotted her brows together and continued to inspect the damage. After staring at it for a few seconds in silence, she scrunched up her nose and grunted, "What an asshole."

Shikamaru couldn't help but laugh as he turned around to lock his door.

"What?" she demanded.

"Nothing," he replied. "You're funny."

She looked at him suspiciously as she turned to make her way into his genkan. Her foot tripped over the step, causing her to fall forward on her hands and knees.

"Ouch!" she hissed.

Shikamaru immediately dropped down behind to her and placed a hand on her back.

"Are you alright?!" He stared at the back of her head as she back down onto her heels. Her silence was starting to make him nervous.

"I'm good," she declared. She surprised him when she turned around to smiled at him over her shoulder. It was the same big, hearty smile she gave him when she defeated Tayuya all those years ago.

Suddenly, Shikamaru was stone-cold sober. All he could do was stare back at her as he acknowledged the foreign feeling in his heart.

He knew in that moment that he loved her.

* * *

Hiiiii. I always write these/edit them soooooo late. ;_; This chapter was a little sloppy and I'm so sorry for that.

 **KangerTop21 -** Yessssss, Ino is the biggest ShikaTema shipper in the series! I love her for it and usually have trouble reading fics when they're put against each other.

 **Mirin Hanashi -** I planned on writing scenes with the suitor, so sit tight! ^^

Both you and **Wiceriene** aren't huge fans of the smoking, hehe. I promise you'll see less of it from here on out (but it's still has a part in some scenes coming up). The irony is that I hated seeing Shikamaru smoke in Boruto hahahaha. Wiceriene, I'm glad Kiba and Naruto didn't come off as obnoxious (funny because I did use that word for them just for that quick scene in the last chappie).

 **whattadragg -** Hehe, Shiho's role will take an unexpected turn ;) I really wanted to write her with the other girls because she seemed close to them in the brief scenes in the movie! I'm glad you like it!

 **Stay tuned...**

Some cute fluff (although important to the story) next chapter and possibly another lemon _if_ it doesn't run too long. Hehehe...

PS: I had some fun with writing a Vampire-universe ShikaTema fic with Halloweeen looming around the corner (shameless plug). It's just a scene I wanted type up and I haven't decided if I want to pursue a second story or not. I also have another prologue from a romantic-comedy style ShikaTema story (also AU) drafted up too. Let me know if you guys are interested in it. ^^;


	10. Pages in Our Storybooks

Hiiii.

Sorry for the long break. Work got crazy and I was so tired and I'm still tired and it makes me hate my writing right now. Last chapter was a mess and I haven't even gotten a chance to go back to fix everything. This chapter will be the same and I hope it doesn't take away from the story too much. I just really wanted to scribble all of this down while it's still fresh in my head. ^^;

I know this chapter is taking an abrupt change. Kind of. It's just that I hadn't expected ONE WEEKEND TO SPREAD OVER TEN CHAPTERS... but no worries. I don't have a limit for this fic. It ends when it ends. :)

* * *

 **Pages in Our Storybooks**

The dryness of Temari's throat reminded her of Suna during a heatwave.

Fatigued from her body fighting to counter the side effects of drinking, she continued to lie there motionless. There was so much alcohol in her system that it burned her nostrils every time she went to exhale. While she usually loved the herbal scent of gin, it no longer smelled appealing as it circulated through her bloodstream.

Her body reluctantly sat up when she decided she could no longer tolerate the dehydration. That was when she finally noticed the weight of his arm around her bare waist. Still groggy from waking up so parched, she had completely forgotten the activities earlier that had resulted in both of them falling asleep naked.

Moving with as much caution as she could in her given state to avoid waking him up, she continued to slip out from under the sheets.

Once her feet found the cool wooden floors beneath his bed, she made her way across the room and picked up his shirt that she had helped him remove earlier. A hint of cedar and pine leaves filled her nostrils as she slipped it over her shoulders. Her fingers grazed the soft fabric as she fastened the middle button to keep the top closed.

His shirt hung off her shoulder and fell past her toned buttocks like a dress as she refilled the glass she had used earlier. The chilled water woke up her senses as it washed over the drought in her mouth. Even though she didn't have a hangover, it lifted the fog from her brain as she polished it off.

She had spent countless drunken nights with Kurotsuchi trying to figure out the secret to not feeling like death the morning after indulging in the toxic liquid. She recalled the mornings after their failed attempts.

 _"Tem, you'd think growing up with royal blood and being the first in our councils would make us intelligent enough to realized how stupid this research project is."_

 _"Yeah… but it's fun until we wake up. Besides, isn't this how we cope with all of those meetings?"_

She felt herself smiling as she remembered the way they tried to suppress their laughter because of their headaches.

Fortunately, after far too many trial and errors to count, they figured out that the culprit behind those god awful headaches boiled down to two things: one was sugar, and the other was mixing different types of alcohol. Ever since then, Temari only drank enough juice or soda to chase if she absolutely had to. Otherwise, she would only drink liquor neat or with carbonated water when she wasn't drinking wine or beer. Once she had chosen her poison, she would refuse to drink anything else for the rest of the night.

A little breathless from chugging the water, she inhaled deeply to regular her breathing. His scent floated into her nostrils again, causing her to turn her attention back to the sleeping shinobi who was still passed out. She leered at him from the opening of his glass shogi doors and smiled from what she could see of his peaceful face.

After making sure that she was okay from her fall earlier, Shikamaru endearingly helped her slip out of her boots and walked her to his couch. They sat in silence together as they sipped on their water. She remembered the way her eyes followed his fingers as he began to trace patterns on her thighs before rising to watch him stare at the glass in his hand. She had noticed lately that he would touch her legs when he was deep in his thoughts, similar to the way he would bring his fingers together when he had to strategize a plan.

When he finally felt her eyes on him, he rotated his his just enough to stared back into them. She had caught his subtle affectionate gazes several times these past few months, but there was something that was very different this time around. In fact, everything he did earlier was a little out of the ordinary for them.

A couple seconds continued to pass by before he reached for her cup to placed both their drinks on the coffee table. When he leaned back, he gently cupped the back of her neck and pulled her into a tender, yet passionate kiss. His other hand found a resting place on her waist as he moved forward to deepen their kiss. Then he proceeded to pull her onto his lap and held her close, almost as if he thought there was still too much space between them. Once she was straddling him, his lips found their way to her neck while his nimble fingers went to unfastened the belt around her waist.

It was Shikamaru who showed her just how aggressive she was willing to get when it came to sex. The lazy genius was anything but lazy in bed. He paid attention to every single one of her reactions when he touched her, always pushing her just far enough but never failing to recognized when to stop. Though sex with him was always the perfect mixture of pleasure and pain, it was also always playful. Sarcastic jokes and laughter always found a place in the midst of their passionate moans and sighs.

Except this time.

There was no teasing or taunting. Instead of withholding his touch this time, he gave her everything her body ached for. Her fingers tangled themselves in his hair as she tried to do the same. The way his nails ripped into her back as she moved on top forced her to feel his hunger for her.

Her skin burned as it recalled the way his strong hands and soft lips roamed her body. Following his tempo, she did exactly the same, only nipping and scratching him when the feeling grew too intense for her to handle. His strong arms kept her close to him, only pulling her back so that he could taste the skin on her neck and chest with his tongue.

It wasn't gentle sex. No, Shikamaru was never gentle.

When they weren't play rough, he was cool and calculated.

This time, he was warm and tender. He moved slowly as if he was trying to savor her.

It came as a surprise to Temari as she was used to their hot and steamy fights for dominance that always took place instead.

Her mind stumbled upon further clarity when she noticed her packed belongings on the counter from the corner of her eye.

She was going home in a few hours.

Instead of feeling overwhelmed with excitement to see her kin and being able to sleep in her own bed, she felt her heart sinking into her stomach. It was different from when she thought of her mother's death or her brothers in danger. It wasn't as devastating as that for sure, but it still caused her heart to ache in a rather unfamiliar way. No amount of emotional training had taught her how to soothe the pain that came from leaving someone you were never really with.

She heard Kurotsuchi's voice slurring in her head again.

 _A drunk mind speaks a sober heart…_

Temari knew deep down that their relationship would have never worked. It was the reason behind her question for Sakura earlier that night. He wasn't going to leave Konoha and she wasn't going to leave Suna. They could never physically be together. Ever.

With no offense to Sakura and Hinata, she always thought that she wasn't one of those girls who latched onto the first guy she'd develop feelings for. She thought she was strong enough to just enjoy it for what it was and moved on when the time was necessary.

 _But here you are_ … she scolded herself.

Knowing that her mind was racing far too much to fall back asleep, she dug around his kitchen until she found a few jars and a large pot. After setting up her battle station, she went to the fridge to pull out the remaining strawberries.

Shikamaru stirred from underneath his blanket. Although he woke up when she had initially crept out of bed, he was still enjoying the peaceful limbo between being half awake and falling into a deep sleep. However, the sudden ruckus in his kitchen pulled him from that limbo state and brought his attention to the faint throbbing in his head.

Frustrated, he threw off the blanket and tried to find his boxers in the dimly lit room. Turning his head look outside the bedroom, he sighed in annoyance before going to retrieve it off the couch. Light spilled in from all of his windows, allowing the full moon to illuminate his apartment just enough to for him to see where he was going. The only other source of light was the one directly over the stove where Temari was standing.

"It's half-past three in the morning. What the hell are you doing?" he asked as he glared at the clock sitting on top of the steps that divided his living room and dining area.

She turned around to see him retracting his thumbs from the waistband on his boxers. His hair danced around his shoulders when he went to rub the sleep from his eyes.

"Making jam," she flatly replied before turning her attention back to the stove.

His hands reached for the large mason jars she'd lined up on the counter. Picking it up, he rotated the glass in his hands to inspect what he could see of it in the dark kitchen.

"Not the first thing I want to hear after waking up to headache…" he groaned as set down the jar. It made a gentle clanging sound when it touched his granite counter. Leaning against the island that was parallel to the the stove, he watched as she stirred the crimson goo in the pot.

"That's because you mixed," she said without taking her eyes off the mixure. "I know it looked crazy that I played flip cup with shots, but it calls for a much better morning than mixing beer and liquor."

"Duly noted," he murmured, scratching the back of his head as a yawn took over his body.

"Here," she said as she handed him her water. "Keep hydrating yourself."

"Thanks…" he replied quietly as he watched her turned back to her project. Despite her attempt to quickly avert his gaze, he still managed catch the conflict that was stirring in her stormy eyes. It was also painfully obvious due to her sudden closed off demeanor and short responses. He reached over and picked up a strawberry that she had left out of the batch she was working on. "Strawberry for your thoughts?"

Even though her heart felt like it was being dragged down by an anchor, he still managed to make her smile. She sighed and continued to stir the red mixture in front of her, knowing that this conversation was better to have sooner than later.

"A sigh only tells me that you're troubled, but not what is troubling you, troublemaker." He said playfully.

"I know it's far too soon to be thinking about the future," she began without looking at him. "But quite frankly, I didn't expect to like you so much so fast."

A serious expression took over the smirk on his face. He placed the empty cup that he had been fidgeting with on the counter and waited for her to continued. When she didn't say anything, he searched his mind for something to break the silence with.

"Well, the feeling's mutual…" he said as he brought his hand up to scratch the back of his head again.

"Right…" she said quietly. "And so… what would happen if we were to get serious?"

"Well… women usually move with their husbands…" he replied. For some reason, it didn't feel like the right answer to him even though he was simply repeating the commonly followed tradition.

"But, and only by birthright, I'm not just any woman, Shikamaru. Both you and I are our respective Kage's right hands and first in command. We can't just…"

"Right," he answered as her voice trailed off. He crossed his arms and traced the patterns on his wooden floors with his eyes.

They stood there in their thoughts with only the sound of the burning flame from his stove to fill the silence around them.

Temari chose to omit the fact that marrying her is still far more complicated due to her lineage. Distance alone was enough to put a strain on their relationship.

After what seemed like an eternity, Shikamaru finally spoke again. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," she answered gently.

"When we were trapped in the infinite tsukuyomi, what was your idea of a perfect world?"

Her brows knotted together in confusion at the random question, but quickly relaxed when she recalled the dream. It made her aware of how much she'd missed Kankuro amen Gaara despite her current situation with Shikamaru.

"Well…" she began. "I dreamed that my silly brothers needed me and that I was of use to them."

Shikamaru closed his eyes and quietly sighed, "I see."

"What about you?" she asked hoping to find the intention behind the sudden question in his answer.

"Asuma and my father were alive. My mom was nagging him and Asuma was clueless on what to do with his screaming baby."

"So you saw your family too?"

"And you," he answered.

"Me?" she asked. Her voice was so quiet that it almost came out like a whisper.

"Yeah," he replied. He opened his eyes to stare at the floor. "You were agreeing with me that marriage was too troublesome."

Temari narrowed her eyes at him. She couldn't tell whether she felt more confused or offended. "Are you saying that your happy ending was you _not_ marrying me?"

"Tch." He grunted and knotted his brows together. "No, you silly troublemaker."

Her eyes softened again when he addressed her by the nickname he had given her.

"What I got from my dream was that… Yes, I got to see my father and my sensei alive. However, I also _considered_ the idea of marriage, and I guess I considered it with you because you were the only other person in my dream."

"O-oh…" she stammered. Her head snapped back to the pot of jam when she felt the heat rising to her cheeks.

"But… I guess we're not quite on the same page," he muttered quietly as lifted himself off to counter to take a seat at his dining table.

Temari watch as he closed his eyes and threw his head back over the chair. She turned off the stove before making her way over to join him.

"My turn to ask the questions," she declared as she sat herself in the chair next to him. He opened his eyes and turned to look at her. Her hands reached for his and brought them on top of the table. "Tell me about your eighth birthday," she said as she held both of his hands.

It was his turn now to look at her in confusion. Even in the partially lit room, her eyes glimmered like a sky full of stars when she smiled warmly back at him.

"Uh… Well, Ino and Choji brought me to the store to buy me ice cream. I thought it was weird because it was at ten in the morning, but we played in the park until about lunch. When we returned to my estate, there were a ton of our family friends gathered there for a surprise party."

"That sounds nice," she smiled. "What was your favorite present that year?"

"Hmm." He looked down at the table as he searched his memory. His hands rotated around so that her fingers rested in his palms. "My dad got me this treasure chest full of old artifacts and relics. They're about as useful as paper weights, but they all had really interesting stories of war heroes behind them."

"That's pretty neat. I'm a sucker for things like that," she chuckled.

"Yeah… I noticed your love for history when we researched the old scrolls," he smiled, keeping his eyes on their hands.

"What about your tenth birthday? You were still in the academy, right?"

"Oh, yeah." He laughed quietly as he watched the way their fingers danced together. "Funny you mention that… We had a special dinner reserved at this upscale restaurant and I showed up with a handprint on my face."

Her weight shifted back as she shot him a confused look.

"Iruka spoke to my mom about my bad grades from always sleeping in the class," he smiled nervously and shrugged.

"And you call everyone else troublesome…" she said with an unimpressed look on her face. "Yet, somehow you're helping prepare that goof Naruto to be your village's next Kage. I remember you telling me stories of the trouble you guys would get into"

He snorted back a laugh, "Yep. Leading by example."

"Ugh, we obviously picked the wrong time to invade Konoha. Should have just waited a decade or two," she joked, rolling her eyes.

He laughed with her.

After falling back into a moment silence, he watched quietly as she traced the lines on his palms.

"And what about when you were twelve?" she asked. "That's when you had to get ready for the chunin exams, right?"

"Yeah. Remember when I told you how Sakura yelled at me for pretending I was under the genjutsu?"

She scoffed, "I'm so glad you redeemed yourself from your lazy behavior before I decided to sleep with you."

"I thought you said that was because you were waiting for me to catch up with you in height," he retorted.

Temari bit her lip and scoffed, "That too."

In the midst of their jokes and hand holding, he had almost forgotten about their initial conversation earlier.

"Hey, troublemaker…" he began, replacing his cheery tone with a more serious one. "What's all this got to do with what we were talking about?"

The smile on Temari's face faded as well. She sat there quietly as he stroked his fingers across the few callouses she had on her hands.

"Tem?"

She softly let out a sigh before raising her eyes to look at his, greeting him with the smoky green hue that reminded him of the way the leaves in his forest clung onto the light at sunset.

"On my eighth birthday, I was sent on a mission to massacre the village belonging to a group of bandits that threatened Sunagakure. Even though they were bandits, they still had innocent women and children who lived amongst them."

Shikamaru watched a melancholy wave washed over her eyes.

"Do you remember the first person you've ever killed?" she asked rhetorically. "I do. It wasn't just a person either. It was three children and their mother who was trying to shield them from me. By the time I was ten, I had already lost count of the battle fields I've fought on let alone the amount of people I've slaughter. And while you were preparing for the chunin exams, I was told I was not allowed to take the test when I turned twelve. Instead, I was informed that we had to go to war and needed prep my youngest brother as a weapon. As you know, we initiated the war when I was fifteen… I came into your village that day not knowing if I was going to make it out alive. I didn't know whether my brothers, my only family, would make it out alive. Particularly Gaara…"

Even though her hands were still resting on top of his, both of them had stopped moving as she shared her story.

"So you see, Shikamaru…" she continued. "Maybe we're not on the same page because well. We come from different books and lived in different stories. And please, by no means am I saying that my pain is worse than yours… It's not that I've suffered more, it's that I've suffered longer. Please don't think it's because one of us is more invested than the other, it's just— "

"You and your siblings have never had a real childhood and this is the first time you guys get to lead the village as a family instead pawns in a fight for power," he finished for her. "I'm so sorry, Temari. That was incredibly selfish of me to say given what I already know about your family. I should have known better," he apologized as his sullen eyes fell back to their intertwined fingers. Both of them sat there quietly, unsure of what to say next.

The sound of her chair dragging against his hardwood floor broke the silence that had fallen on them as she got up and turned around to sit on his lap. Her legs dangled off the side as she wrapped her arms behind his head.

"It's okay," she said softly as she nuzzled her head against his neck. "Maybe one day when you're not so lazy, we can take over Tanigakure and start our own village. Then we'll be right in the middle of Suna and Konoha."

She heard the rumbling in his chest as he laughed at her joke. A smile appeared on her rosy lips when she felt his arms snaking around her waist to pull her body closer to his.

"And who would be the Kage of this new village?" he asked.

"You," she answered, looking up to grin at him. "I'll be your muscle."

Her smile was contagious. Shikamaru found himself laughing again despite the sadness that was accumulating inside him. She always managed to find a way to warm up his heart.

"Well," he began quietly. "What now? Pretend that this… that we never happened?"

Temari stroked the back of his neck affectionately with her thumb as she took a deep breath. Her fingers tangled themselves in his hair as she tried to find ways to articulate her feelings.

"No," she answered when she finally spoke. "I don't ever want to forget… us. I don't think I can to be honest. We just have to move forward and appreciate the time we did get to spend with each other."

"Such a shame that it was so short…" he murmured into her hair.

"Yeah…" she agreed as she tightened her arms around his neck.

Shikamaru ran his hands against her thighs, feeling the definition on her legs from her rigorous training. He dragged his palm against her skin until it reached her knee before flipping it around to run the back of his hand up towards her hips. He repeated the pattern as they sat there silently.

After a few minutes, Temari stood up and turned around to face him. Her hands found their way to his shoulders and used them for balance as she lowered her weight back onto his lap to straddle him. When she was finally seated, she gently ran her fingernails down his body. Goosebumps manifested across his skin as she gently raked them past his chest and down the definition on his abdominals.

His own fingernails found themselves digging into the flesh on her legs as he tossed his head back to let out a quiet moan.

"Tem…" he whispered. His head slowly rolled back as he opened his eyes to meet hers. People always spoke about the way her eyes shone like emeralds, but he never thought that was quite right. Emeralds were more of a true green like Sakura's, while Ino's were more of a turquoise. Temari's eyes were somewhere in between, but darker. In fact, he never found a gemstone that accurately represented her eyes. They were deeper, like the sea right before a storm. "Don't you think this will make parting tomorrow even harder?" he asked in a hush voice.

"You mean to tell me that you've found a way to make this easier?" she replied sarcastically.

After failing to find a flaw in her reason, he decided to give into her touch.

"I suppose you're right…" he whispered into her ear. A sigh escaped her lips when she felt his breath. Her arms snaked behind his head again as he began to paint her the skin on her neck with his lips. He slid his wrapped his hands under her thighs to pick her up and carried her to back to his bed.

Tonight, he was going to take in as much of her as he could before he had to let her go.

* * *

Hiiiii.. I know I said there would be a lemon but I guess this is kind of a lemon 'cause I'm just not in the mental state to write one. I'm just exhausted but still really want to write this fic!

I just think my title is so weird now because I had originally planned on taking this fanfic a very different route. Chapter 2 was actually the very first chapter I wrote and it was supposed to be a RomCom of Temari reflecting back on everything Ino and Sakura taught her about astrology. Tem doesn't even have Scorpio Moon, I just made it up and thought it was fitting for her (although I believe that another placement might have been more accurate now if you know a thing or two about astrology...) Oh well. It has a nice ring to it I guess haahah.

 **Stay tuned...**

A bit more from Shikamaru's point of view and Temari's farewell to Konoha.

 **Simone137 -** Thanks! Yeah, I think I mentioned this before but I'm around the age they are in the blank period so I think it helps bring a realistic perspective of how they would act. I remember seeing Shika and Choji drinking (rather large) glasses beers in the 497 (I think) so I mean... I assume they're doing young adults things around this time period. Hehehee, thanks for the compliment on the lemon. Do you really think I made Shiho more confident? I don't remember her too well but I remember she wasn't meek either. Right? Okay, I don't really remember. Hahahah.

 **charlieobsesses -** oh man, slice bread is the real deal too. thanks, love!

 **Wiceriene -** Hehe, but he doesn't get a chance to and got yelled at right? I've stopped watching Boruto since that episode. I hate, hate, hate they way they portray Tem so I refuse to accept it as a canon! (PS: I wouldn't write Vampires in this universe but I probably won't continue that fanfic anyway. I have muuuuuch better ideas for the AU one)

 **KangerTop21 - "** he got no time for that kind of drama" bwahahaha. right? I can see her only making bratty comments with him and he would just be like _siiiiiigh, nope!_

 **PennyChemie & lili & Axel0913 -** thank you! i love the support.


	11. This is it

Hi. Did you miss me?

I told you last chapter was a bit abrupt hehe... I could have spent a little more time on it but work has been crazzzzzy. Then I'm literally too tired to brainstorm let alone organize my thoughts when I write. I was originally going to do Shikamaru's POV first but after everything said and done, this order made the most sense to me.

Not that it made as much as sense as I hoped it would, but it was the best I could do. Teehee.

* * *

 **"This is it..."**

"…and here's what the budget for the train will look like," Temari said as she slid the document across the table to Kakashi. "Of course, our village will pay for ninety percent of it since it is our proposal," she assured him when she saw his eyes widening in mix of shock and terror. Bringing her elbows onto the table, she intertwined fingers and rested her chin on top of them while she waited for the Hokage to skim through the pages.

Rather than paying attention to the proposal, Shikamaru simply observed her from his position behind Kakashi's chair. Although she appeared alert and collected, the whites of her eyes were a faint shade of pink from their sleepless night. He had insisted that she should at least get some rest since she had a long journey home today, but she refused. Still, he was thankful for her protests against his orders because they had agreed that everything will return to 'normal' the moment they step out of his apartment.

They'll continue working side and side, pretending that they felt nothing for each other as they've always done.

It didn't take a genius to see that something was off when she blatantly confessed how much she liked him yesterday. She spoke in a tone that people always used when they would follow up with 'but.' As in, 'I like you a lot _, but…_ '

Renown for his ability to assess all the potential scenarios in a matter of minutes as a strategist, his mind had already processed every conversation that would have followed before she spoke to him. He had wanted to ask her the same question about their relationship in the long run as well, but found the answer in the uncertainty of voice when she asked first.

And then, he ceased to have control over his emotions and thoughts. At first, he wasn't sure why he made the comment about women moving in with their husbands until he realized that was what _he_ wanted her to do

During his battle against Gengo, he came to the realization that she was so important to him that he refused to live in a world which did not include her. However, despite his praised intellect, it took him months later to understand that was basically was what loving someone meant. You don't want to be without them. He had scoffed at Naruto's and Neji's inability to acknowledge the women who loved them all this time and yet, he failed to acknowledge his own feelings about the woman in front of him.

He wanted to blame it on the fact that the only example he had were his friends who literally _fell_ into love. He desperately wanted to point his fingers at Ino, Sakura, and Hinata for their excessive infatuation over the men in their life.

Except that wasn't the case either because there was one person Shikamaru knew who found the love of their life in a similar fashion as he had.

There was his sensei, Asuma.

Ever since he was old enough to remember, he'd witness the subtle interactions between Asuma and Kurenai. They would interact in such a subtle way that everyone completely overlooked their chemistry.

 _They were just like…_

He focused on Temari's face as she watched Kakashi with those intense eyes of hers.

Her eyes were so dark that they were just a shade away from a navy sea. He used to believe that they were just as icy as their owner, who was far too cruel to know of love and warmth. However, that was when he was an ignorant child because now he knew that only the hottest flames burned a similar color to her eyes.

 _Guess I have more in common with you than I thought, sensei._

He had completely forgotten about the relationship between his god daughter's parents. His relationship with Temari's was just like theirs. They didn't fall in love. No, their love was one that grew slowly and steadily. It was nurtured with care over the years they've spent together.

A sighed escaped him as he averted his gaze and pretended to look at the document.

He remembered how it took every fiber in his body to control the anger that washed over him when he realized that asking him those questions was her way of letting him know that there was no future for them.

He wasn't mad at her.

It just wasn't fair.

Their relationship made the most sense to him and yet, here they were. Unable to be together.

He heard her voice in his head.

 _'We come from different books and lived in different stories...'_

Then, Kakashi's voice pulled Shikamaru's attention back to their meeting. "This is quite expensive, Temari-dono." He said nervously. "Are you sure?"

"Suna's economy is thriving because our inhabited land is full of resources needed for the new developments across all the villages," she explained. "By no means is this a humble brag, but we have more money than we know what to do with and it's only going to continue to accumulate. Gaara wants to make sure as much as that goes into bridging our relationships with the other nations. Once everyone in our village has been taken care of, of course."

"I see…"

"However," she continued. "Before we begin such an exorbitant project, my siblings and I want to make sure people have an incentive to want to travel amongst our villages. No use in building that train if we're the only ones using to make these meetings."

Kakashi gave her a questioning look and asked, "And how are we going to ensure that?"

"We want to host an event where both our villages can come together."

"Like the chunin exams?"

"No," she answered with a small smile, expecting that response from him. "The chunin exams promote too much competition by pitting teams against each other. That is perfectly fine when we are trying to seek out new talent, but we're trying to strengthen the bonds between the villagers. While our council members share a mutual respect, I believe that the rest of the villagers still have doubts about trusting outsiders. We wanted to host a festival that will help us address that."

"A festival, you say?" Kakashi stoked his chin over his mask.

"Yes. Sunagakure was establish in October. We will be holding a parade for an entire weekend and hope have Konoha-nin there as guests. You don't have to invite the entire village, just enough so that it will spread through word of mouth and encourage future visitations."

"Ah," Kakashi nodded. "That way, we can still leave some of our shinobi here to watch the village."

"That's the plan."

"Well, I propose that we open up our village to do the same."

"Really?" Shikamaru finally perked up and asked.

"Yes, Shikamaru." Kakashi chuckled. "That train is meant to be used both ways."

"Well, yes. I suppose…" he replied. "But which festival?"

"I think Obon would be perfect. It's a beautiful sight to see with all of the lights," the Hokage explained. "However, Obon is in August. Would it matter if we host it first, Temari?"

With her chin still resting on top of her fingers, the Suna kunoichi glanced down at the table as she processed her thoughts.

"I would have to run that by Gaara, but I don't see why not." She said when she finally looked up again.

"Alright, then I look forward to our next meeting then." Kakashi said as he stood up.

Temari followed his cue and brought herself to her feet. Placing her arms flat against her body, she bowed to him. "Hokage-sama."

Kakashi smiled nervously at her formality before glancing at the door that was finally repaired. The last time he saw her, she had ripped the entire frame out of the wall in order to interrogate him. He had to admit, she was one of the very few women out there who he was slightly terrified of. His eyes found their way to the floor as he thought of Tsunade and her protégé before looking back up at the Suna ambassador.

"Safe travels," he said to her as he signaled for her come out of her bow. He turned to Shikamaru. "As always, please make sure Temari-dono has everything she needs before she leaves."

* * *

Silence took the place of their usual verbal sparring as they made their way to the main gate.

Sober Temari was silently repenting for drunk Temari's impulsive decisions. Seeing her packed belongings on the counter the night prior brought her down from the high she had been riding since they took their relationship beyond being work associates. It was normal for people to have several relationships before they settled down, so she figured she could have done the same. While she hadn't plan on seeing anyone else, she thought she could at least enjoy his company for the time being.

But then she might have enjoyed it too much.

When she realized that she _dreaded_ the feeling of leaving, she finally addressed her reckless behavior. She had valued the company of another man over her home. That was unacceptable to her. She knew she fought for far too long and far too hard for some guy to come between her and her family.

Still, she gave herself some credit because Shikamaru wasn't just _any_ guy. He was a very smart and a very respected man who also respected her intellect and abilities. If any of her friends had been in her situation, she would have understood.

However, she was far too proud to accept that this still happened to _her_ out of all people. Temari of the Desert was not one to foolishly put _anyone_ before her family and her village.

Even though she was thankful to experience the past few days with him, she also cursed it for weight on her heart when she finally came to her senses. So in the midst of making a mess in his kitchen, she decided to nip their relationship in the bud. If it was already this hard this early on, she didn't want to imagine how hard it would have been if she had let it run its course.

To her, it was clearly the right choice.

When the gate finally came into view, the pair saw the girls from last night's party lounging around. Although they were clearly ridden with fatigue, Temari could hear their chipper voices as they chatted up Kotetsu and Izumo.

"Hey!" Sakura exclaimed when she noticed them. "Looks like I picked the right time to break for lunch. I was hoping to catch you before you leave."

"Who? Me?" Temari asked her in confusion.

"Yes!"

"Huh? Why…?"

"To see you off, silly!"

Temari was stunned. It was unusual for anyone besides Shikamaru and the gate guards to bid her a farewell.

"It was really nice to hang out together as friends off the battlefield," Hinata 's soft voice chimed in.

"We have some things to give you as well," Tenten smiled at her as she pulled out a small scroll. "I've sealed some refreshments in here for your journey home. There's water and some of Sakura's amazing food pills."

"Well, they don't _taste_ amazing…" Sakura laughed nervously. "But you won't find anything that will replenish your energy better than my pills!"

"And of course, for you to remember how ah-mazing we are," Ino winked at her as she held up two photos.

Temari accepted it from her to see that they were the ones taken at the party. The first one was of her and the girls and the second one was the group huddled around Naruto. Everyone was smiling happily at camera except for her and Shikamaru. They were smiling at each other.

She stood there and stared at the photo wistfully, convinced that this was karma for all the terrible deeds she had accumulated under her father's and the old council's order. It was as if the universe thought it was funny to make this as hard and possible for her. As if it wasn't already tough enough to walk away from a relationship she could never have, she now had to walk away from his wonderful friends as well.

"Here," Tenten said as she reached for the bag containing Temari's spare clothes. "Let me seal these up for your so you only have to carry the scroll. I can put away the picture too so it won't get wrinkled from your travels."

"Thanks…" Temari said quietly as she handed the items to her.

"Well," Ino smiled. She walked up to wrap her arms around Temari for a hug. "We'll see ya soon, okay?"

"Uh…" Temari began. She could feel her body growing stiff from the sudden contact. "Yeah…"

The rest of the girls did the same before walking away with Ino.

Once they were out of sight, Shikamaru made his way over to her as she stared blankly at the scroll in her hand. "You good?"

She wasn't. Though Temari usually never had any issues when she parted ways with her close friends like Kurotsuchi, the girls' thoughtful gifts made her departure from _him_ even harder.

"Yeah," she lied and she tucked the scroll into her kimono. "That was very nice of them."

"Yeah," he agreed. "They seem to really like you for some weird reason."

She smiled softly at his joke, earning one back from him in return. "Well then, this is it."

"This is it…" he echoed her. It was a phrase they've always exchanged every time she left, except this time, it meant much more than a friendly farewell.

"I'll see you next time… for work."

"Gotcha," he replied.

He watched her turn to leave, staring at her back until she disappeared down the path before turning around himself.

Izumo and Kotetsu watched as he slowly made his way back into the village.

"That was... different." Izumo muttered.

"Yeah. Did they break up already?" Kotetsu asked.

"They were dating?" Izumo looked at him in confusion.

"I don't know… Were they?" Kotetsu responded.

"But you just said…"

"Don't listen to me. I'm terrible when it comes to these things."

* * *

Comedic relief ending? Idk.

I told you I lost my momentum but I also knew the past few chapters were going to be the hardest ones to write so far. I work a client-facing job and I'm just so beat after work that my brain literally feels fried from talking to them. I can't even proof read properly 'cause I'm so tired. Still, I really want to write because I lav ShikaTem and I really want to see what their wedding was like. We all know our gal would never has simply say, "oh yah lemme be a housewife." YES, I know strong women eventually settle down for their family if they choose to but I know she didn't just hang up her gloves (quite literally if you look at her design lol).

 **STAY TUNED:**

 **THE SAND SIBLINGS & TEMARI MEETS THE ASSHOLE WHO RIPPED THROUGH A PICTURE OF HER FACE.**

( _i'm averaging 2-3 hrs of sleep per night, can you tell?_ )

Looks like the last chapter was a huge hit. Thanks, loves!

I do read through all your reviews. I just try to keep my responses here short if you guys are just being so sweet that all I can respond with is thanks.

Guest - ty ty ty! i try my best to keep them in character 'cause that's why i love them.

Mirin Hanashi - hiiii hun. no no no. critique all you want. it makes me better and i agree and i think i mentioned it at the beginning of the previous chapter. i hope this chapter clarifies it for you a little bit. i was going for the "oops i guess i rly like him more than i thought i would and that's not good" thing for her.


	12. Political Pawns

There's soooo much foreshadowing in this chapter, both cannon and for my story. ^_^

This chapter was a little rushed but I'm going to have a full schedule the next few weeks.

* * *

 **Politcal Pawns**

The golden cliffs enclosing Sunagakure greeted Temari almost three and a half days later. She was a little behind schedule because she allowed herself to sleep in the first night of her journey in order to regenerate her energy, but not without mentally scolding herself for already picking up Shikamaru's lazy habits.

 _Good thing it stopped when it did…_

The shinobi guarding the narrow entryway to her village came into her view. She assumed they must have saw her too when one of guards sprinted away as she continued to approach them. Her brothers most likely instructed the gate keepers to notify them of her arrival. As she motioned for the guards to come out of their bow, she heard Kankuro's voice booming from the path behind them.

"Temari!"

Shifting her gaze to the tall figure behind the guard, she watched as Kankuro swiftly made his way towards her.

"Hey, Kankuro."

"This was an unusually long trip for ya, Tem. I don't think you've ever stayed for more than a day or two in Konoha unless the Chunin exams were going on."

"What's wrong? Did you burned down the office building while I was I gone?" she teased. She laughed when Kankuro snorted and rolled his eyes. "It's just that I've been traveling every other week these past few months," she continued. "I decided to stay a little longer so I wouldn't have a six-day commute for a one-hour meeting with the Hokage." _Omitting details is not the same as lying, right?_

"That makes sense," her brother replied as he stroked his chin. "Sorry for troubling ya, sis. If you need me to take over for a bit, just let me know."

"Will do," she replied. Kankuro couldn't have found a better time to extend that offer to her.

"Temari," came another familiar voice. "I'm glad to see you've made it home safe."

She peered over Kankuro's shoulder to see their youngest brother walking towards them.

"I have some changes I'd like to make to a few districts," he continued. "Because you are more familiar with the villagers, I was hoping you could advise me on which steps to take first."

When Temari wasn't acting as a liaison between villages, she took on the role of being her brother's _personal_ ambassador at home. Gaara never had enough time to visit the villagers as often as he'd like to, so she took the liberty of being his eyes and ears for him. At least once a week, she would make her rounds in Sunagakure to search for areas that needed improvement by either chatting up the villagers or simply just making note of what she saw. She found that this simple routine allowed the people to acknowledge that Gaara was constantly finding ways to help their village, which garnered further support from them in return.

Her mind quickly flashed back to her tsukuyomi dream that she shared with Shikamaru the other night, thinking that this was exactly what she wanted.

 _Right?_

She could feel her nose scrunching from the overwhelming mix of emotions but smiled through them as she wrapped her arms around bothers to pull them into a hug. "I've really missed you guys."

Kankuro and Gaara tensed up as they both awkwardly stared at the back of her head when she buried her face between their shoulders. Temari's idea of displaying love for her brothers usually involved something amongst the lines of sarcastic comments, pinching their cheeks, and affectionately roughing up their hair. This was rather out of character for her.

"Oi!" Kankuro shot at her. "Are you alright?"

Temari tightened her grip around their shoulders until the hug became more of a headlock. "Of course I am! I've been spending almost every other week in another village and just really missed being at home." She released her grip around Gaara and used that hand to drive her knuckles into Kankuro's scalp. "Besides, what's wrong with missing my brothers?"

"Let me go!" Kankuro cried out as he attempted to escape from her iron grip. _This_ was more like the Temari he knew.

"Are you sure?" Gaara's asked. The concern in his voice made her stop and look up at him.

"Yeah," she smiled, releasing Kankuro's head. "I think I just really appreciate being home," she partially confessed as she stared into the village.

"Oh," Kankuro scoffed. "So you're just delusional from being tired?"

"Pretty much," she chuckled back at him. He wasn't entirely wrong. She was exhausted, but more so mentally than anything. Traveling alone for three days gave her too much time to think.

He chuckled at her before inquiring about her meeting, "What did the Hokage say?"

"We should let her rest," Gaara interrupted him. He turned to face his sister. "Take your time and we can discuss your meeting with the Hokage once you're ready."

"I just need a shower," Temari assured him. "Sakura gave me some of her special food pills so I feel fine."

"You know… we should really recruit her. She saved my life _and_ helped Temari return in tip-top shape," Kankuro joked.

"We'll have to recruit Sasuke first," she smirked back at him.

They burst out in laughter while Gaara bit his lip and turn away, trying not to smile.

* * *

Temari gradually worked her towel through her hair as she savored the rejuvenating feeling of a shower after a long journey. She sighed blissfully and closed her eyes as she fell onto the couch in her apartment. There was something much more satisfying about being able to freshen up in her own home than on the road or at an inn.

She slowly lifted her her eyelids and scanned over the contents inside her apartment, comparing the details of it to Shikamaru's. Both of their buildings were relatively new, and share many similarities when it came to the architecture. However, her apartment was only furnished with necessities while his had some minimalistic decoration.

Because that loft was the very last gift from his father, Shikamaru went out of his way to treat it with care. She'd learned that he had furnished it with furniture from designers that Shikaku favored and frequently purchased from, which explained why everything seemed unusually extravagant for his tastes. Still, he justified the purchases, believing that investing quality products now meant he didn't have to go through the trouble of going shopping again to replace them.

 _Exactly what you'd expect from a lazy genius..._

Her eyes fell on Tenten's scroll sitting on a counter next to her tessen. She lingered on her couch for a moment before getting up to release the photos that were sealed inside. A laugh escaped her when she saw how awkward and stiff she appeared in the photo with the girls before thumbing to the picture behind it.

There they were, completely obviously to the entire group around them.

Her time with Shikamaru suddenly seemed so surreal. The feeling she got when she was with lately came crashing down on her like a wave, and she impulsively invited it to wash over and pull her underneath. Although it was an irresponsible decision, she was still thankful for being able to experience it. She got to enjoy herself even though it was short-lived, but now it's time continue on with her life.

It was so much easier to think more rationally now he wasn't around. She reminded herself that she'd lost so much more than a silly romance. Besides, they were still friends and will continue work with each other.

Another small breath escaped her as she made her way to the table in the corner of her living room. Her fingers adjusted the photos until they sat up amongst the miniature succulents decorating it. She figured there was no harm in displaying the photos since she was never in her apartment anyway.

* * *

Temari had met up with her brothers prior to gathering with the elders so that they could discussed the proposals independently first. It gave them time to decide how they were going to approach the older members in the council since they often found themselves on opposing ends. The three of them were now waiting patiently as the elders processed the proposal Temari had presented to Kakashi.

"That's a wonderful idea," Ebizo beamed when he finished thumbing through the papers. He looked over at Gaara. "I think strengthening our alliance with Konoha is one of the best moves we can make. Chiyo put a lot of faith in you and that boy Naruto."

Gaara nodded at him to express his gratitiude. He turned his attention to the remaining elders. "I know that you guys only want to protect Sunagakure, but please consider this. We fought together to save all of the world and have proven that we are stronger together. This will help us take one step towards bridging a permanent alliance with Konohagakure."

Tojuro blankly stared at the papers in front of him. _Fine, foolish boy. I'll go along with your plan until we get rid of you._ "I suppose you're right," he pretended to agree. "Nothing wrong with keeping them close on our side." _Except for the fact that you want outsiders crawling all over our village._

"But we now have the resources that will allow us to have power based on finances alone," the female elder next to him argued.

"Eh," Kankuro grunted. "All the money in the world means nothing if our village gets obliterated in any future wars."

"He's right," Ebizo said. "Chiyo believe that Gaara and Naruto were destined to find sustainable peace together. She gave her life for this belief and you know that she would have been the one to resist this plan the most if she wasn't completely sure of it. I believe we should give them this opportunity to show us what she saw in them."

"At worst, we'll just scrap the project." Tojuro pretended to edge on. That was exactly what he planned to do anyway.

The other elders exchanged concerned glances and eventually shrugged. There wasn't much they could do to protest against the Kazekage _and_ the two heads of the council.

"Temari also has another proposal," Kankuro announced. The elders all turned and gave him a questioning look.

"I want to build a sanctuary for the children," she chimed in. "For troubled youths or simply children who feel alone and abandoned."

"You mean like an orphanage…? We already have on those." Tojuro raised his brow at her.

"No," she replied. "An orphanage is for those who do not have parents. As you can see…" her voice trailed off as she looked over at her brothers. "One doesn't necessarily need to be without their parents to feel rejected or alone… I want a place that welcomes all children. Perhaps we can even open it to all ages, but I definitely want a strong focus on the young ones. They are the future of our village and I want them have the support that took my brother years to receive. Look what Gaara has done for the village since becoming Kazekage. He lost his life for Sunagakure and is only standing here because of Chiyo-sama. Now, our village is flourishing. Imagine the possibilities if we nurtured all the children early on."

Temari's role in their government usually kept her hands pretty full. However, she decided to pursue additional endeavors in hopes of preventing herself from turning into one of those girls who wasted their time moping over romance. Determined not to be _that_ person, she figured all she had to do was to keep herself busy. Because the frequents boring meetings about Sunagakure's finances were just as equally as painful and annoying, she came up with this idea in attempt to kill three birds with one stone. There would be no time to think about miniscule boy problems, less time to spend in boring meetings, and all while giving back to the community.

"Well…" Ebizo began. "I supposed that's a great investment for our village. I say we should go for it if we have the funds to do so."

Tojuro shrugged. None of it would matter soon to him anyway. "Sure, why not."

Temari had to blink a few times to hide the sudden uneasy feeling inside her. _That was almost too easy… Ebizo has been a lot more progressive since Chiyo's death but this guy…_ she thought as she stole a quick glance at Tojuro. _I can't help but feel like something is off._

"Temari-hime." Tojuro's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"I told you not to call me that." Being called a princess never sat quite right with her.

"I apologize," he replied. "But I do have a proposal for you as well."

She curiously looked over at him.

 _So there was a catch._

"I believe that your concern for the future generation of Sunagakure is actually rather fitting," he continued. "Well, you see… your mother was about your age when she married your father…"

She narrowed her eyes in annoyance at him while Kankuro and Gaara widen theirs in shock.

 _Marriage? Really?_

Tojuro couldn't help but to stiffen under her glare. He cleared his throat before continuing, "Temari-dono, we need to start worrying about an heir. Karura was not much older than you when she conceived you."

Temari continued staring at him, using her loss for words in her advantage. One of the things she learned about psychological warfare was that silence made people very uncomfortable. She simply sat there quietly as she thought about the irony of her predicament.

"Not to worry!" Tojuro said almost too quickly. "This matter doesn't require immediate attention... yet. I know you are a very busy young woman. We will wait until you've completed your projects. In the meantime, please do keep this in mind. Of course, we are in no place to tell you who your suitor should be, but we hope that you will find someone of your liking here in Sunagakure soon." He forced a smile in attempt to win _any_ favor with the frigid woman in front of him.

"Are you serious?" Kankuro's voice flooded her ears.

Temari continued to remain silent while the entire table quietly anticipated her next move. She was well known for her strong, independent spirit and never failed to voice her distaste whenever someone wanted to dictate her personal life.

"Sure. Whatever," she replied indifferently.

Although she never one to be so informal during meetings, she was to physically and mentally exhausted to care. She took this as the universe telling her that she had made the right decision and that it was definitely time to move forward. It merely reinforced the fact that their lives were two completely different stories. He lived in fairy tale where he grew up in a loving home, had a happy life with wonderful friends, and probably got to marry whoever and whenever he wanted to. She, on the other hand, appeared to be subjected to the same fate as the women in history books who were nothing more than baby-making pawns in political affairs.

 _I guess I should be thankful they're not marrying me off for some bullshit peace treaty._

"Temari! Are you sure?" Kankuro asked her. This was something the Temari he knew would have protested against until the elders prayed for an early death. He shoved his face in front of hers until there were only a few inches apart. His eyes searched hers for anything that would help him identify the person in front of him. "Are you really my sister? How do you I know you're not some shadow clone trying to infiltrate our government?" He sneered at her.

Temari glared back at him before reaching her hand out to pinch the tender skin behind his armpit. Once she had an ample amount of flesh between her fingertips, she twisted her hand and yanked on it until Kankuro wailed. "Don't be stupid."

Kankuro tore himself from her grip and fell back into his chair. His eyes grew red and began to glistened as he tried to soothe the inflicted area with his hand. "Never mind," he croaked. "That's definitely her."

She blinked at him before rolling her eyes and sighing. "Look, Gaara has poured his heart and soul into building up his village despite… you know." Her voice trailed off as she steered the conversation from her brother's past. "I love this village too because it'll always be my home, but I cherish it even more because of everything Gaara has done for it. And everything that Chiyo gave her life for." She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath before continuing, "That's why I will also do whatever I have to for this village."

"Spoken like a true princ—I mean… Lady of Sunagakure. Your father would have been proud of you," Tojuro smiled at her. "Great, then I have one thing I wanted to address with you."

Temari grew stiff when he mentioned her father. Her head slowly rotated in his direction. The look she was giving him spoke for her. She was running out of patience for this man.

Tojuro went on to explained to what his conversation with Ebizo a few days earlier about assigning a substitute body guard unit in her place. She sat there with a displeased expression on her face the entire time he spoke. As if the idea of strangers following her around town wasn't troublesome enough, he had the audacity to propose that they also look after Gaara in her place when she traveled.

"We have plenty of abled shinobi. I don't understand why you're assigning strangers who haven't even lived in Sunagakure for quite some time now to be my substitute," she protested when he finished.

"Yes, but they are not remotely on the same level as you or Kankuro. Gaara needs shinobi who matches your skill level to take your place when you're not in town."

Temari resisted the urged to call him out on his sudden suspicious flattery, but she couldn't help but feel that he was right as well.

Tojuro turned around and called out, "Katsuie, please bring in Yukimura and Mitsunari."

Temari and her brothers watched as the men emerged from the door. The first man had a tall, athletic build and a chiseled face that reminded her of Shira. The man next to him was the complete opposite. With his long locks and carefully sculpted features, he had the transcendental aesthetic where he could also pass for a beautiful man or woman. It made her think of Neji.

She raised her brow at them when her eyes dropped to their foreign clothes. Tojuro mentioned that they've spent most of their lives living in different villages to learn various styles that would supplement their ninjutsu. They were dressed in robes similar to those from Ko no Kuni and Tetsu no Kuni. _They're going to last long in Sunagakure dressed like that_ , she thought.

"So you assigning a guy who can't figure out whether he's a shinobi or samurai and his concubine to be my bodyguards?" Temari scoffed. Kankuro tried contain his laughter but failed when he snorted loudly at his sister's imprudence.

"I'm not a woman!" The red head snapped at her.

Satisfied with her ability to trigger the stranger, Temari smirked.

"Could have fooled me."

* * *

Ko no Kuni = Land of This and Tetsu no Kuni = Land of Iron. First town was used in fillers I think and had very traditional Japanese clothing. :)

" _I guess I should be thankful they're not marrying me off for some bullshit peace treaty._ "

How funny that this is... well. You know. Like I said, some canon "foreshadowing" but would you even call is that since the series is already over?

I'm actually at work and my laptop is at 14% so I'll have to make this quick!

spiritedarray - you are so sweet. thanks for all the support and i will definitely reach out to you if i decide on one!

ayingChan - ahhhh. you have so many predictions and i think i'm going to send you on a rollercoaster of emotions when you see what happens! hehe.

KangerTop21 - glad you like the development with the girls! i took the liberty of making up for kishi's overwhelming bromance huehuehuehue.

Mirin Hanashi - please please please don't stop critiquing. it really helps me figure out what to write next and i really appreciate it. 3

whattadragg - hiii hun. no worries. i know all about that adulting life. and yes! i love all the female characters promise there will be a lot of interaction between them coming up!

Simone137 - ah ok. i don't remember shiho's character too well. i know a lot of people write her as an opposing character for Tem... soooooo... just wait and see what i have in store for her. hehe.

everyone else, thank you! i do love your kind words but i'm actually crunched on time (battery) this chapter. i just tried to address the inquiries/suggestions/critiques but will definitely get around to making some shoutouts.


	13. Tessenjutsu

HI FRIENDS! I noticed that you guys didn't get a "Stay tuned..." preview thingie I usually did. As mentioned, I was rushing it on my lunch break. Probably ended up being a good thing because I had originally planned on jumping around scenes from Shika and Tema, but I think everything is tidier with how this chapter played out.

So uhm, instead of Stayed Tuned... Here's...

 _ **Today on Scorpio Moon...**_

 _Fan vs Fan, may the best Tessenjutsu user win!_

So if you haven't google searched Mitsunari Ishida from Samurai Warriors 4 yet, he is a tessenjutsu user in the Koei universe. The real Mitsunari Ishida has been dead for a while so who knows. Huehuehue. This was completely unintentional but worked out fabulously for my fanfic. Winning! (Oh god, is that still a thing? Is my age showing? I'm still a 90's kid, I'm not actually that old. Right? .. ... ?)

 **Okay important-ish note: According to the books (or Naruto-pedia I guess), Temari was _declared_ possibly the best wind user in the world two years after the war. **But they didn't need to tell us that cause we know our fav gal is. Amirite? NARUTO, YOU MAY HAVE BEEN THE BEST WIND USER DURING THE WAR BUT NOT NO MOOORE. okayenjoybye.

* * *

 **Tessenjutsu**

Mitsunari glared at the blonde seated before him. The way she intertwined her fingers beneath her chin to cockily smile at him made his blood boil. She had gotten under his skin and she knew it.

"Temari-dono," Katsuie began. "He is simply wearing the clothes native to the land in which he had spent most of his years train— "

"I never said anything about his clothes," she interrupted. Her smile deepened when she noticed the way red headed stranger flinched. "Besides," she continued. "His skills can't be that impressive considering those flamboyant garments. His friend's armor at least looks somewhat practical."

"You're welcome to find out just how capable my skills are regardless of what I choose to wear," Mitsunari sneered at her.

Temari closed her eyes and scoffed, "I plan to do exactly just that."

"Temari-dono!" Tojuro exclaimed. "We apologize for his impulsiveness and beg for your pardon. Offending you was not our intention."

"Who's offended?" she asked when she opened her eyes to look at the elder. "You didn't think I'd let just anyone join my unit let alone be my substitute as Gaara's bodyguard without seeing their abilities first, did you?"

"Well…"

"Tceh," Kankuro smirked as he folded his arms. "That guy is the perfect replacement for you, sis. He has the same temper as you did when we were younger."

Temari looked over in his direction and narrowed her eyes at him. "May I remind you that it was _you_ who bullied Naruto and his sidekick Konohamaru when we first arrived in Konoha for the chunin exams?" She watched her brother tensed up before continuing, "Even Gaara scolded you that day. Talk about embarrassing."

"Alright!" He snapped and motioned his hand to wave her off, "I get it."

Temari grinned at him before turning her attention back to Mitsunari.

"You. Meet me in the arena in ten minutes," she demanded as she stood up in her chair to leave. "Or get the hell out of my village," she added over her shoulder.

Mitsunari stared at her back as she filed out of the room with her siblings. He turned to face the piercing glares he felt against his very own back. Katsuie and Yukimura silently leered at him, knowing fully well that arguing in the middle of the room would induce suspicion.

All he responded with was a shrug of his shoulders before he made his way towards the battle arena. He couldn't help but give the Suna princess _some_ credit. Despite being annoyingly witty, she was smart enough to be rightfully suspicious of him and Yukimura.

' _This world has far too many idiots, but she is not one of them_ …' he smirked to himself. ' _Shame that we have to take her down_.'

* * *

Mitsunari and his comrades watched as everyone emerged into the arena. Although he was too far away to see exactly what it was, he could make out that she now had a long object strapped to her back. He presumed it to be her weapon judging from its size.

' _That's fine_ ,' he thought. ' _I play with toys too._ '

Temari and another man jumped from the ledge to meet him at the bottom of the arena.

"Thanks reffing the match, Baki." He heard her say to the older man. He figured the man must have been another relative because she spoke to him in a tone that he'd noticed she would only use with her brothers. Mitsunari didn't have enough time to ponder over it because she immediately turned her attention to him.

"Alright," she grunted as she leaped backwards. "Let's get this over with."

Mitsunari smirked back at her as he withdrew his tessen. It was half the size of Temari's when he flicked it open. White and crimson swirls decorated the leaves of the fan like a red sea. A kanji was decorated in the middle of it.

Temari cocked at her and smiled in amusement at his weapon. "A tessenjutsu user, huh?"

"Wow," Mitsunari heard Kankuro from the bleachers. "This kid must have a death wish."

He ignored it and crouched down to propel himself backwards until he was of equal distance from Temari.

"Just like the chunin exams," Baki's voice echoed throughout the arena as he began to explain the rules. "The fight will end when the other member is subdued. If we believe that one's life is at stake, we will step in."

 _'If you pathetic fools can keep up with me,'_ Mitsunari smirked. His honey colored eyes were fixated on his opponent who have yet to withdrawn her weapon. She merely stood back with her arms crossed.

"Begin!" Baki exclaimed as he jumped out of the arena.

"He's fast," Kankuro said to Gaara when Mitsunari took off and darted around the perimeter of the arena. He moved with such speed that the only thing the crowd could see was a blur racing around the edges. "He's almost as fast as Shira and Lee."

"Ah," Gaara nodded in agreement. His turquoise eyes shifted over to look into the similar pools of green belonging to his sister. He saw that they were shifting around as she followed the movements of the fiery-haired shinobi. The one thing that impressed him the most about Temari was he ability to sense the wind. It allowed her to follow her opponent's movement as if she were using the power of the Byakugan. Her only blind spot is the anywhere beneath the earth if the opponent was smart enough to figure out her abilities. From the looks of her opponent thus far however, the newcomer appeared to share similar abilities as his sister.

Suddenly, Mitsunari appeared in the left corner behind Temari. Crescent blades of concentrated chakra were launched at her as he skillfully drew infinity loops with the wave of his arm. They were just about to slice through her when she reached for her tessen. She opened it just enough so that he saw one deep purple circle on leaf before she hoisted it in an upward swing, easily repelling his attack.

He ran against the wall of the area until he reached the opposite wall to avoid her wind storm.

' _What a tremendous amount of chakra_ ,' he thought to himself. ' _To carry a weapon of that size, she must rely solely on ranged attacks. This will be easier than I thought!_ '

Mitsunari pushed himself off the wall to dive directly at her. The razor-sharp edge of his tessen glistened in the light as he aimed it at her spine, fully prepared to severe it. Just as he was about to strike her, she closed her own tessen and turned around and blocked him with the guard.

' _She's fast,_ ' he thought to himself in frustration.

Kankuro laughed out loud as they began to engage in a dance of pure taijutsu. "Hey pretty boy," he called into the arena. "If you would have stuck around and trained here in our village, you'll know that my sister is highly proficient in taijutsu. She even gives Gaara a run for his money in that kind of battle."

Gaara locked eyes with Baki when he glanced over at his brother in amusement. While all three of them were lethal ranged fighters, Temari was definitely the more well-rounded shinobi when it came to fighting at both far and closed ranged combat. It was something she'd never let them forget growing up. Their mentor chuckled under his breath before turning to back to watch the match.

"Mitsunari is getting irritated," Yukimura whispered to Katsuie. "He's starting to get sloppy."

"This idiot," the larger shinobi spat under his breath. "Did you fools do _any_ research on her like I asked?"

"We couldn't find anything about her combative abilities," he responded. "That was classified and I couldn't be a newcomer going around asking about that."

Katsuie mentally kicked himself when he realized that this was information _he_ should have relayed to them. "She leads the tessenjutsu division and also happens to be the best wind user in the world. Even that nine-tailed brat declared so."

"Would have been useful to know," Yukimura whispered back as his eyes remained focused on the fight.

"I didn't think your moronic partner would be stupid enough to pick a fight with her," he seethed back. "He could blow our cover."

"Hn," Yukimura grunted. His best friend's irrational temper could definitely become a problem.

The sudden loud and rapid clanging sound of metals being struck together brought everyone to the edge of their seats. Mitsunari was rotating his tessen so that it spun like a saw as he came down on Temari. She held up her own tessen and blocked it, resulting in the rattling noise.

Irritated, he focused his chakra into his foot and pushed against her tessen to do an aerial flip backwards. The force sent Temari sliding back on her soles until she was only a few steps away from the wall. Completely unfazed, she set her tessen on the floor and rested her arm on top of the hilt.

"Had enough?" she taunted him.

Mitsunari grunted at her before waving his fan to send crescent blades of chakra in her direction again.

"I've already see this," she exclaimed as she repelled his attack with a deadly gust of wind again.

" _Die you wrench_ ,' he cursed to himself as he hurled his fan like a boomerang at her.

Gaara watched for his sister's reaction, confident that she clearly saw that the first attack was a diversion.

Mitsunari smirked as he watched his tessen ripping through the air towards her. However, the smile was quickly wiped off his face when she vanished from his sight. His eyes quickly searched the room to find her. When they looked forward again, he saw that she had leaped into the air and landed on top of his tessen and used it as a pivot to propel herself towards him. Next thing he knew; the wind was knocked out of his lungs as she landed on top of him. She shoved the edge of her tessen against his throat. Between the impact of her landing and the way she was crushing his windpipe, he could feel his lungs struggling to find air.

"Too easy," Temari smirked at him.

"Match!" Baki's voice called behind her.

Temari scoffed at him before finally standing up to walk towards the elders who had gathered behind Baki and her brothers.

"You know. There's a girl in Konoha who gave me more trouble than you as a genin," she spat at him.

Mitsunari could feel his nails ripping into the skin of his palms as he balled up his fists.

"Katsuie," she called over the tall figure.

"Yes, Temari-dono?"

"His friend," she said looking over to Yukimura. "How does his skill compare to this… man-lady or whatever?" She pointed to Mitsunari who remained on the floor. He was still too angry with himself to move.

"Yukimura has trained longer than Mitsunari, but his expertise lies more in close combat."

"I see," she said as she looked over to the mass of blazing red hair spilled on the ground. "Alright," she shrugged. "I'll see them bright and early tomorrow."

"What?" Kankuro questioned her as she turned to leave. "You just wiped the floor with that guy."

Mitsunari finally sat up so he could look at her. He was unable to tell whether he was more confused or angry.

Temari stopped walking and looked over her shoulder at Mitsunari. "Like that girl from Konoha," she began. "It's not that you aren't highly skilled. It's just that you're an unfortunate sap who was poorly matched with me."

The shinobi blinked his hazel eyes at her, unsure of what to say.

"I can see that you rely on wind technique and unfortunately for you, that is my area of expertise. However, you also can manipulate lightning and that intrigues me. I guess your taijutsu deserves to be mentioned as well. You are ridiculously fast… despite the unnecessary layers you wear. So… I'll give you and your boyfriend a chance," she shrugged. She turned to Baki and her brothers. "Hey, I brought you guys some souvenirs from Konoha. They just imported a ton of things I'd think you'd like."

They all nodded and followed her to Gaara's chambers. Because of frequent travels, Temari had invented that code for initiating private meetings with just their team. Normally, it was used to meet with them with news from her travels before presenting them to the elders, but they knew that this was to discussed the newcomers that Tojuro had assigned to them.

Katsuie waited until everyone else emptied the arena before marching over to grab Mitsunari by the lapel on his shirt.

"Do you want to fucking die?" Katsuie hissed at him.

"Could have warned me she was a tessenjutsu user," Mitsunari replied flatly as he tore himself from Katsuie's grip.

"No one told her you were one and she still defeated you," Yukimaru pointed out to his friend.

"Hey! Who's side are you on?!" Mitsunari snapped at him.

"Enough!" Katsuie snarled at them. "One more stupid antic like that, and I'll kill both of myself," he declared before disappearing into the night.

"Still want to work for him?" Mitsunari asked sarcastically as he dusted off his sleeve.

"We don't work _for_ anybody," Yukimura reminded him as he started to make his way out of the arena. "I told you. We just share the same vision for this village."

"Hmph," Mitsunari grunted. His hands smoothed over his hair as he walked over to pick up his tessen before following his friend outside. He always managed to give respect where it's due and as much as he loathed her right now, the blonde kunoichi was definitely an impressive foe.

* * *

Temari watched as Gaara bit his finger until blood oozed from his thumb. He wiped it against the floor in his room and stood back to watch as a secret staircase appeared. It was a private room that was sealed so that it was completely soundproof when they were inside. Only those within the Kazekage bloodline can open the door, which allowed for all three of the Sand Siblings access it.

"That guy was out for blood, Tem." Kankuro said when they were finally gather at space beneath the floor.

"I know," she replied.

"So what do you have going on in that mischievous mind of yours then?"

"Nothing," she shrugged. "You know what they say... Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. We'll let them do what they want so we can observe them. Just make sure we keep the important things confidential."

"That's why you held back today, isn't it?" Gaara asked her.

"Can't be showing them all my tricks quite yet!" She grinned at her brother.

"Didn't look like you needed to anyway," Kankuro laughed.

"He's really not too shabby. He just had absolutely no idea what I was capable of."

"Yeah. They were completely isolated from the village during our training. I wonder if they even consider themselves citizens here anyway," Kankuro pondered.

"I'll ask them eventually," Temari shrugged.

"You're just going to flatly ask them? Just like that?" Kankuro looked at her curiously.

"It's a fair question if they're going to be my guards. Plus, keeping them close will show me their ulterior motives eventually anyway."

"Good thinking, Temari." Baki said. "Well, let's see how this goes."

The siblings nodded at him and turned around to make their way back into Gaara's room.

"Temari," Baki called after her. "May I speak with you privately?"

Temari turned to her brothers and nodded at them to close off the door before walking back over to Baki.

"Yes?"

"Are you alright?" He asked her in concern.

"Why wouldn't I be? Do you think that punk injured me?" She scoffed.

"It's not that…" He said quietly. "Are you sure about the marriage thing? I didn't think that you would oblige to something like that."

Temari blinked at the older man. Of course he'd noticed that something was off. Baki has always been more of a father figure than her own flesh and blood. Although her dad wasn't necessarily a bad man himself, he was a Kage before he was a father. Even though she still loved him, the fonder memories of her childhood were always with the man standing before her.

"It makes sense though, doesn't it? I mean I'm going to have to married eventually, and they're giving me a few years it looks like. At least they are letting me choose and are not forcing me to marry some stranger," she reasoned.

"You shouldn't have to do it at all…"

"I'll make a fuss about it when the time comes around," she shrugged. "As for now, they're agreeing to our proposals so lets just get that out of the way first."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Of course not!" She laughed. "I was going to worry about it when the times come."

Baki sighed and laughed under his breath. "You cunning child," he said. "Now I know why the weasel sought you out."

"Baki!" she playfully snapped at him. "It's still my duty to do what's best for this village. I just don't care to think about it until it happens, okay?"

"Always the responsible child," he chuckled. Still, he knew deep inside that she would never follow through if she had the slightest hint of doubt about it. He only hoped that everything will work out in her favor in the end.

* * *

You guys are all so reactive to my updates, AND I LIVE FOR IT. Ya'll get really good at predicting my ideas too but only in bits and pieces. Not enough to make out the direction I'm going to take this fic so phew. The reason why I address notes at the end of my fics is because you guys discuss my chapters so actively that I feel my responses kind of provide a... universal...message and understanding... or something like that... for my readers. Yeah.

I know you you guys want to see our love birds together therefor I decided to get this chapter out of the way so that I can give you just that. I'm about 2/3 done with the next chapter which I plan to release maybe in the middle of next week. I hope to have the following chapter done by the end of the month because I will be doing quuuuuite a bit of traveling until mid-November.

 **Mirin Hanashi -** DID I CATCH YOU OFF GUARD? I finished this chapter before you reviewed so I kind of giggle when I read it. But, I think we might just view Temari very differently. So many authors write her as a "I-do-as-I-please" kind of gal, but I've always taken her as a, "I'll do what's best for my loved ones/home" person because of the chunin exams. I always think back to how she was opposed to going to war with Konoha but did it because as far as she was concerned, the elders knew what was best for the village and she had to follow instructions.

 **KangerTop21-** Teehee. You're so consistent with your support. I really appreciate it. Yes, the plot thickens! AND THIS ISN'T EVEN THE THICKEST PART OF THE PLOTTTTT. **We're only around a quarter into my story, guys**.

 **ayingChan -** No Shika this chapter but...

 _ **Stay Tuned!**_

 **Capricorn Rising... and the Gazebo in the Rain.**

I might as well speak morse code, right? You'll get a semi-fluff. I'll give you that much. Okay, you can have this too:

 **Guest-starring: Team 10**

Like I previously mentioned, this was supposed to be a romcom based on the girls having lunch in chapter 2, hence the out of place title... so lets bring some astrology back, yeah?


	14. Rain

Omg.

I had to do so much research for this chapter. I actually have to do a lot of research for this entire fic. I legit looked at a map of Konoha for a while to write the setting.

IT'S 2:51 AM. WHERE DID TIME GOOOOO?

* * *

 **Rain**

 _Temari and Shikamaru were walking back to the Ninja Academy from lunch on a crisp afternoon where they were preparing for the first Konoha-Suna Joint chunin exams that was sponsored by their respective villages. They began to cut through a small park between the hospital and the Yamanaka Clan's property. Shikamaru was going over his written portion of the exam when a sudden spring shower began to pour on them._

 _"Shit!" Shikamaru exclaimed as he tucked his clipboard into his flak jacket to protect his notes._

 _Being familiar with the area that surrounded the Ino-Shika-Cho estates, he grabbed Temari by the crook of her elbow and lead her to a Gazebo was centered between the three Clan's properties. Once the structure was in sight, he released his grip and darted under it for shelter. He sighed in relief when he was assured that his work was safe. When he noticed that the Suna kunoichi's missing presence, he looked back towards the path to find her gazing up at the sky as water trickled down her golden skin._

 _"Oi," he crossed his arms and called at her. "You act like you've never seen rain before."_

 _"I have," she said to him without moving from her stance. Another moment of silence passed before she whispered, "It never rains in Suna…"_

 _Her words caused him to soften up his posture. He watched the way she turned her palms towards the sky to feel the droplets of water as her stormy eyes took in the rain clouds. She would only move her head occasionally to watch the rain fall as if she was trying to savor the way it would dance against her skin. The black kimono she was wearing began to cling to her curves as it continued to grow damper, yet she showed no signs of concern for her clothing._

 _His eyes began to roam every curve the robe hugged. The usually loose garment was now outlining every crevasse it could possibly find. He first watched the way it sat over the pockets of her clavicle before navigating down to see how it was beginning to gather in her cleavage. As his eyes continued to work their way down, he took note of the way they were wrapped around her legs and emphasized the fullness of her thighs. It wasn't long until he found himself feeling envious of the material was sitting against her skin._

 _He snapped back to reality when Temari dropped her hands. Suddenly realizing that he had been staring at her, he fumbled his way to the wooden bench that ran along the perimeter of the rectangular gazebo and sat down. He tried to refrain himself from looking at her again, but cursed himself when he felt his eyes stealing yet another glance at her. Her arms were now at her side, but she continued to lift her face towards the sky to feel the water._

 _'Of course you're attracted to her. It's only natural for men to be attracted to women,' he tried to reason to himself. 'She just happens to be a very attractive girl wearing a very drenched kimono. You should be worried if you didn't find that attractive… Right?'_

 _Once he found a way to justify his lack of self control, he allowed himself to steal one last look at her. He was going to savor the sight before him the same way she was closing her eyes to savoring the cool water that was rolling against her skin. It was totally normal. His dad did have an entire stash of magazines hidden in the house with photos much worse than the Suna kunoichi before him after all._

 _Suddenly, the spring shower came to an abrupt stop. Temari opened her eyes to see sunlight trickling through the clouds as they continued to roll past the village._

 _"Are you going to go back to work like that?"_

 _Temari turned in the direction of the voice. She found Shikamaru leaning against the bench with his fingers intertwined behind his head. He sat there with his foot resting on top of the opposite knee and stared back at her._

 _"Have you forgotten who I am?" A smirked appeared on her face as she reached for her tessen. Swinging it open, she yanked it upwards to enclose herself in a wind tunnel. There was so much air pressure circling around her that Shikamaru could barely make out her silhouette. When the wind finally ceased, he saw that Temari was now even dryer than he was. Her hair that she must have taken down in the wind tunnel was now cascading down her shoulders._

 _Shikamaru drank in the sight before him. He has never seen her hair out of their pigtails. He was pleasantly surprised by how much it softened us her usual intense features. She didn't look quite as deadly as she usually did._

 _"Do you mind if we worked outside in that Gazebo?" she asked him when it rained again the following day._

 _Shikamaru blinked at her in confusing. What caught him off guard was not so much the question itself, but the way it was delivered. Whenever Temari wanted something, she would ask for it in almost a rhetorical way. It usually came out more like a declaration than a question._

 _Yet, there wasn't the slightest hint of assertiveness in her voice just now. This time, it was more of a request than a demand, and a rather polite request. Temari was never rude, but she was always forthright. The way she asked him was almost… sweet._

 _"Sure," he heard himself answering. "Let me get a backpack to keep the papers dry on the way there."_

 _From then on, they always found themselves back at the gazebo when it rained. The roof extended beyond the posts and railings, providing them with plenty of shelter from the rain so long as there wasn't a strong wind to direct the droplets in any direction but downwards. He always wondered if she manipulated the weather in anyway because even when it poured, it always fell in a way that allowed for them to work without any disturbance._

 _He grew to enjoy working with her whenever it rained. Like the way water can soften the roughest grains of sand, there was something about the downpour that always disarmed Temari's stoic demeanor. She always lit up whenever the skies grew dark and gloomy._

 _It rained almost every day that spring during the two weeks they spent together preparing for the joint chunin exams. He used to find the weather rather troublesome as he hated getting wet, especially when he was forced to stay in his damp clothes. It often delayed his missions or even prevented him from getting anything done, not to mention it always reminded him of the day his sensei was murdered._

 _However, his perception of the rain started to change as he continued to spend those weeks with her. She pointed out the tranquility that would fall upon the village every time it rained. Bustling streets would quiet down as people gathered inside to stay dry. When the sun would decide to peek through the clouds again, everything would glisten in the village as if it were brand new._

 _It was during the rain that he got to experience the fondest memory of the two of them. Their time slowly started to free up once they finalized the finishing touches to the exam. Temari was the type of person who kept herself busy whenever something was bothering her, which became apparent when she grew more reclusive towards the last few days. He couldn't exactly make out what it was until their meeting with Kakashi when they discussed how they planned to use her brother as bait to lure out the Akatsuki. She most likely lost sleep over the ordeal as she started to show up to their sessions looking more fatigued than she had earlier during her visit._

 _"Review the point system for me again," she said as she made her way over to him. He was leaning against the post in the corner of the Gazebo when she sat down beside him to look his clipboard. A gentle breeze brushed over her skin and washed her scent over him. Hints of magnolia and citrus filled his senses when he inhaled. It triggered his memory of when Ino noticed the scent on his clothing from working with her all day. She mentioned that it was one of her favorite flowers in her family's shop because magnolias are symbols of purity and nobility, and are associated with the life force._

 _"Uh. Sure," he replied as he glanced over at her. She was definitely a force to be reckoned with. His eyes wandered back to his clipboard as he began to explain the process of dividing the teams up in different testing rooms._

 _No more than a minute later, he felt her head collapsed on his shoulder. It caused him to flinch in surprise. He looked down at her to ensure that she was okay. When he realized that she had fallen asleep, he simply sat there and observed the features on her face. Exhaustion had taken over her body and replaced her usual apathetic expression with a soft and almost vulnerable one. Deciding that it was too troublesome to move her, he allowed his weight to sink against the post and nodded off to sleep as well._

 _When he finally came to, the sun was shining brightly as the remnants of the rain clouds slowly continued to drift away. He felt them widening when she moved on top of him. Looking down, he saw that she had curled up like a kitten underneath his arm. From the the way she was stirring, he could tell that she was waking up too. Unsure of how she was going to react, he panicked and swiftly moved his arm so that it would rest over the railing enclosing them._

 _He closed his eyes and waited as she slowly came out of her slumber. The warmth on his chest started to subside as she began to sit upwards. Patiently, he waited for her reaction. He anticipated for her to gasp or jump from embarrassment or shock, but felt nothing but her weight shifting as she sat up. His eyelids start to raise with great caution as he attempted to peek at her from under his lashes. When he managed to make out the back of her head, he allowed his eyes to fully open. Her head was turned to gaze at up at the sky._

 _He immediately shut his eyes again when he saw the slightest movement of her head. She brushed against his legs when she went to stand up. The rustling of her kimono suddenly filled his ears as she tried to straightened out the lines that must have accumulated from their nap. He tried to calm the pounding in his chest, unsure of why he felt so nervous when she was she was the one who fell asleep on him._

 _"Shikamaru."_

 _Her usual bold voice was soft and calming, but still caused him to jump out of his skin when she placed her hand on his shoulder to wake him up._

 _"Wha…" He pretended to sound confused._

 _"We fell asleep," she told him._

 _'No, you fell asleep,' he thought, convincing himself that he was merely trying not to disturb her. "Oh," he replied. "We should get going then, we have another meeting after dinner."_

 _With that, they gathered their materials and headed back towards the main road._

 _And ever since then, Shikamaru tried to ignored the fact that he suddenly opted for the heavy clouds on a rainy day rather than the peaceful ones on a calm afternoon. He grew to appreciate the drizzling sound and the quiet overcast days. It stopped reminded him of Asuma, and started to remind him of the rare softness of a certain lethal woman._

 _Unfortunately, it never rained again on any of her visits after that day._

"Shikamaru!"

Turning towards the direction of the voice, his eyes focused Ino who was tapping her foot impatiently at him next to Choji. He turned his head back to the gazebo sitting between the properties belongs to their families. Sunlight was spilling over the elegant Japanese architecture, thought he couldn't help but find less appealing without the raindrops dancing on its roof.

"Are you serious?!" Ino snapped at him. "You're going to go back to daydreaming after looking at me?!"

"C'mon Shikamaru…" he heard Choji plea. "It's lunch time and I'm starving!"

Shikamaru slid his hands into his pockets and laughed quietly as he walked over to join his friends. "When are you not hungry?" He couldn't help but think of the girl who shared his childhood friend's appetite.

Choji and Ino were enjoying the quiet week and managed to drag him away from his work for lunch. Ino's schedule had been rather empty ever since Naruto and Hinata decided to push back the wedding. She no longer had to worry about scrambling for the floral arrangements since she now had more time to leisurely plan for them.

Because she had more free time on her hand than she knew what to do with, Shikamaru found himself running into her quite often. She was always hanging around the Hokage's office waiting to either give Sai thelunch she had pack for him or for him to get off work. Earlier, she had dropped off a Bento for him and waited with Choji so that three of them could get barbecue for a mini Team Ten reunion.

When they were finally seated at the restaurant, Shikamaru could feel Ino's eyes piercing at him like glaciers. She had been rather respectful of his space since Temari's departure. He could tell that she was desperately waiting for him to bring up the topic first, and almost felt bad that he would leave her disappointed each time they encountered each other. In fact, he was almost sure that their lunch meeting could very well be an attempt to lure the discussion out of him.

"Alright, Shika." She commanded over Choji happily humming as he browsed the menu. "I wasn't going to ask," she continued as if she had read his mind. "You've been all mopey since Temari left. I mean I'm probably just as happy as you are that there's actually a woman out there besides me who can tolerate you," she joked sarcastically. "But… I never took you for the lovesick type."

Choji finally tore his attention away from the menu. While nothing piqued his interest as much as food, Shikamaru's sudden sullen behavior surely did. Throughout his entire life, he has only seen Shikamaru sulk over three things: the death of their sensei, the death of his father, and having to put more effort than necessary into mindless tasks. These were all things Choji was able to resonate with. A relationship, particularly Shikamaru being in one at all, was something completely new to him. He looked at Ino staring intently at their childhood friend before joining her to look at him as they waited for a response.

Shikamaru withheld from sighing in annoyance as he continued to flipped through the selections of meats. He was slightly offended that Ino would call him _lovesick_. That was a term saved for people like her and Sakura, who would literally have mourned over the absence of their crush. He believed that he had returned to his life just fine. The whole ordeal was disappointing, but not devastating.

"Shikamaru!" Ino exclaimed as she slammed her palm on the table in front of him. "You know better than anyone else that I won't let this go until I receive an answer from you!"

"Alright," he grunted back. His eyes stole a glance at the patrons in the restaurant who were now staring at the suddenly commotion she'd caused. "Calm down, people are looking."

"Well?" She demanded.

"I'm not lovesick," he declared. "We decided to not pursue… whatever was going on between us."

"What?!" Ino gasped. She swore she felt her own heart breaking for the calm shinobi sitting in front of her.

"But you spent all weekend with her," Choji pointed out. "Ohhh… Is that how you guys found out that you were not compatible?"

"Impossible!" Ino cried. "Your charts have nearly perfect synastry! I was even jealous that you two were more compatible than me and Sai!"

"Perfect what?" Shikamaru cocked his brow at her. The word 'charts' made him realized that she was probably referring to astrology when he reflected on her words. It was something she always mindless chattered about during their missions that required traveling. "No, never mind. I don't understand what you're talking about, nor do I want to," he quickly said as he shook his head. "But no," he continued. "It's nothing like that. There's just the distance thing not to mention it's probably extremely troublesome to a Kage's daughter… or sister, I guess. It's just too troublesome for both of us."

Ino gave him a frustrated sigh. "So? Sakura and Sasuke made it work."

"Really, Ino?" He sheepishly scoffed at her. "If seeing someone once or twice a year for a few days is your definition of a relationship…"

"That's exactly why it should be easier for you guys. Temari visits Konoha two or three times a month at times!" Ino rolled her eyes. "Besides, I'm sure Sasuke will settle at home… eventually."

"Exactly," Shikamaru replied. He leaned against the backrest of their booth to closed his eyes and sighed. "Sasuke will eventually come _home_ ," he said when he opened them to look at the two teammates in front of him. "Konoha is our home, Ino. Not hers."

Ino opened her mouth to speak only to realized that she was at a loss for words. She pressed her lips together as her mind raced process everything.

"I could never leave Konoha," Shikamaru said, filling the silence that fell over their table. "And it's not fair expect her to not feel that way about Suna too."

"It's like Romeo and Juliette…" Choji muttered sadly. He had been rather delighted and amused with the blossoming romance in his stoic friend's life.

"Choji," Shikamaru began. "That story is about warring families that ended with Romeo and Juliette _dying_. We are not warring with Suna anymore and I can promise you that both of us are not the type to commit suicide over a relationship."

"Oh," Choji laughed nervously. His eyes suddenly beamed with excitement when the waitress arrived to take the first round of their order. After they sent the now overwhelmed girl away with Choji's extensive requests, Shikamaru vaguely relayed his discussion with Temari to them.

"She's is a Capricorn Rising after all," Ino sighed when he finished. "They bear so much responsibility…"

"You're losing me again, Ino." Shikamaru rolled his eyes at her.

"Ugh," she grunted. "You don't have to know what it is to understand it."

"It's too complicated and there's no scientific evidence behind it," he scoffed.

Ino raised her brow at him in amusement. "We took down the mother of chakra, who was thought to be a mythical creature, and scientific evidence is your argument?"

Shikamaru felt himself twitched. He had to admit that people never gave Ino enough credit. She could be a rather cunning woman who sometimes managed to leave even him at a loss for words.

"Exactly," she said almost too proudly. "Anyway," she continued. "You have a lot of signs in your astrology chart, but the rising sign describes the way you engage and interact with the world around you.

"Choji, you are a Cancer rising. You are sweet and approachable. Shikamaru has an Aquarius rising, which makes him very innovative and annoyingly _too_ smart. However, the rest of his chart makes him a practical idealist who can change and reform the world from behind the scenes.

As for yours truly…" she winked at them. "I am direct and forward as an Aries rising."

"That's a nice way describe 'bossy'," Shikamaru snorted.

"With that being said!" She ignored him and continued over Choji's snickering. "Let's say if Choji's the 'nice' one and Shikamaru's the 'smart' more, then Capricorn risings are usually considered the 'responsible' one. It's not unusual for them to develop a strong sense of tradition, family, and responsibility from childhood. They're also prone to worrying too much… about their family, the future, and they always wonder whether they're doing enough for themselves and their loved ones."

Shikamaru's eyes dropped to the beer resting in front of him. He watched as the bubbles in the carbonated drink worked their way to the surface. Regardless of what he thought of astrology, Ino was currently describing Temari to a tee.

Ino rested her head on Choji's shoulder as they both looked at Shikamaru empathetically. Between the three of them, he was the one she worried about the most. Choji's heart was as big and resilient as he was. He was a simple guy who was easy to please, allowing him to find happiness in the smallest of things. Shikamaru, on the other hand, was about as finicky as one could get and refused to acknowledged anything or anyone unless he found significant value in them. She was terrified he would end up dying alone… by choice.

"I think you should keep fighting for it if you really want to be with her," Choji suddenly chimed in before bringing his own beer to his lips. Ino sat up straight to turn to him as Shikamaru looked up at him from his beer. "Like Ino said," he continued after wiping his lips on the back of his sleeve. "We've seen people die and come back to life. If there's anything I've learned these past few years, it's that we've always managed to make anything that was impossible… possible. I wouldn't close the book just yet."

Shikamaru tilted his head and stared at him. While conquering battles is completely different from conquering matters of the heart, Choji's optimism genuinely cheered him up for the first time in days. "Interesting choice of words," Shikamaru smiled at him.

"What does that mean?" Ino questioned him.

"Nothing," he simply replied.

"Hey! Tell me!"

"Tell you what?"

Frustrated, she turned to Choji. "What are you guys not telling me?!"

"I'm just as confused as you are!" Choji replied.

"Shikamaru, I swear…" Ino glared at him.

"Food's here!" Shikamaru smiled as their waitressed returned with towering trays of meat.

"We're not done y-,"

"Oh boy!" Choji interrupted her.

Ino silently growled at the strategist before her, who shrugged back at before reaching for the tongs. She let out a final frustrated sigh before grabbing her chopsticks. She might have lost the battle, but knew she'll eventually win the war.

* * *

BOOM. HIT YOU WITH A FLASHBACK.

I really wanted to write this chapter with more imagery but I'm not a very strong writer at all and I really don't have a lot of time to write... I'm very fortunate that you guys at least like my ideas. I also considered saving the first scene for a separate prequel because I've gotten PMs requesting for more of how Tem and Shika fell for each other prior to this fic but... I don't have enough content for that so... you get a flashback, sorry.

I know this seems like fluff and maybe filler... but it will tie together as the story progresses. ^^;

I really want to address you guys individually but I should get to bed... so I'll summarize everything. I'm glad that some of your feel that I kept Tem pretty canon since she's portrayed so many different ways. Like I said, I think most of them all canon depending on which arc. I'm also glad that you like how I portrayed Rasa! I think he's not that bad of a dude. He would never get father of the year like Minato, but he's not a villain!

I also especially love your guy's predictions. It allows for me to see what's obvious and what's going to catch you off guard later on. Hehe.

I would do a stay tuned... but I'll let you decide. Do you want to see Tem and Shika together again next chapter or just one more chapter of what Tem's doing now that she's home? It wouldn't change the story too much... but I owe ya one cause I skipped out on a lemon earlier...lol..


	15. Cutie Pie

**HI! This is practically a draft because I barely spent any time editing it.**

 **That's because I don't have ANY time to write, but I wanted to get this out to you!**

* * *

 **Cutie Pie**

A faint _scrunch_ came from her fingerless gloves as Temari used her hand to shield her eyes from the sunset that poured over the gates of Konoha. Her stomach was churning and she couldn't calm her racing heart no matter how many deep breaths she took as she leaned against a tree trunk. She had never once felt this nervous about visiting Konoha. In fact, she was much more calm during her initial visit while on her mission to destroy it.

More than a month has passed since she parted ways with Shikamaru at the very gates before her. They had parted ways agreeing that they'd return to being friends. Yet, here she was, pathetically lurking in the shadows of the trees. She knew that this wasn't how _friends_ behaved.

However, it was now July 6th, just a little over a week before Shikaku's birthday. One of the things she'd learned over the past few years was that Shikamaru would fall into a bleak, introverted state around the time of his father's birthday. She and her brother had often experienced the same daunting feelings around the time of their own parents' birthdays. Temari knew she had grown more calloused over the years, but this was still fresh for him. She had been mentally wrestling with herself on whether it was appropriate for her to check up on him.

 _'Because that's what friends do, right?'_

Tired of feeling like a meek little girl, she decided that preventing the lazy genius from wallowing was exactly what she was going to do because she was such a good 'friend.' Pulling back her shoulders and holding her head high, she found her confidence again and marched towards the gate. Temari of the Desert would _never_ let a man be a source of her weakness.

The streets of Konoha were decorated with streamers of every color she could possibly name. Different paper figurines hung from trees and danced in the wind as she made her way across the village. She figured it must have been some kind of holiday.

Nostalgia washed over her when she arrived at his apartment building. Memories of them cautiously arriving and leaving together played in her head as she made her way inside. When she started to recall the long nights and lazy mornings from her last trip, she violently shook her head to clear her thoughts.

 _'Nope. That part of your relationship is over,'_ she scolded herself as she made her way up the stairs. ' _We're back to being friends now_ …"

"Thanks for doing this for me, Shikamaru-kun!"

A female's soft voice stopped Temari in her tracks just as she was about the emerge onto his floor. She retreated down to the bottom of the steps and and waited. She wasn't expecting _another_ visitor, let alone someone who called called him, "Shikamaru- _kun_."

"Of course," came a familiar voice. Its cheerfulness made her flinch in annoyance. It was definitely his. "I would do anything for my favorite girl."

The way his voice was dripping with affection made her heart sink. She could feel her breath rapidly increasing as her heart began to pound aggressively against her chest. She wasn't sure whether she felt ill from how petty she was being right now or from the shock.

"I owe you big time," said the mysterious voice again. "I love my cutie pie so much!"

' _Cutie pie?_ ' Then shock subsided as confusion started to take over. Was _this_ the type of girl Shikamaru was really into? She slid into the hallway of the lower level when she heard them saying their goodbyes and looked towards the stairs to watch for the owner of the voice. Just a few moments later, a woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties came bouncing down the steps. She looked like a simple woman. Her garments were practical and not very flashy, and her brown tresses were pulled into a messy ponytail. She looked exactly like the simple type woman Shikamaru always joked about marrying.

Temari waited another minute before descending the stairs herself. Of course she had expected him to move on, but the fact that that he did it so soon offended her. She hated the jealousy that was pulsing through her veins. This was not like her and she detested that he could make her feel so out of her skin, even now.

She knew she had no valid reason to feel upset, but she didn't care. What she desperately needed right now was a friend and a drink. After letting out a frustrated sigh, she started to make her way across the village to see a specific shinobi that she knew would appreciate some company.

* * *

"Temari… where are my pants?" A voice croaked softly at her. "My head is killing me…"

"I told you that cocktails were poison," she replied. "They don't teach you that in medical school?"

"I'll let the instructors that we apparently need crash course on how to drink appropriately…"

Temari laughed, picking a pair of white pants off the floor by the bathroom on her way to the bed. She handed it along with a glass of water to the corpse beneath the sheets. "You sleep in, Sakura. I'll pick up some ramen for when you're not too nauseous to eat."

"Hnn…" Sakura groaned from under her pillow, causing Temari to chuckle again as she quietly closed the door to the medical-nin's studio.

"Temari-san." A voice greeted her when she arrived at Ichiraku's ramen booth. She looked over to see Kurenai sitting with a very lively child in her lap.

"Kurenai-sensei. Please, no need to be that formal with me," she replied.

"I'm sorry. Given your lineage and..."

"I insist," Temari interrupted her. "You are an instructor after all…"

"Ah, well if you say so." Kurenai smiled. Mirai giggled on her lap as she began to wave her hands at Temari. "What brings you into town? Another meeting with the Hokage?"

"Yes. I'm meeting him in an hour or so. I'm just picking up some ramen for a friend," she explained.

"You mean Shikamaru?" Kurenai asked. Sakura wasn't the only one who felt nauseous. The sound of his name made her stomach twist up in knots. She had to meet him first so that he could walk her to the Hokage's office.

"What? No. Why would you assume…" Temari quietly stammered.

"Isn't he your coworker? Both of you work together as delegates for your respective villages, right? I never see you without him unless you're escorting Gaara…"

"Right…" Temari was embarrassed for her awkward reaction. "No, it's for Sakura. She had a bit too much to drink at dinner the other night."

"Ah," Kurenai laughed quietly. Suddenly, she looked past Temari and waved. "Miyu-chan!"

Temari looked over her shoulder to see a familiar face that struck a nerve in her. It was the same brunette she had saw leaving Shikamaru's apartment.

"This is Miyu, she's Mirai's nanny." Kurenai began to introduce them. "Miyu, this is Temari. She is the Kazekage's sister and Suna's Ambassador. She works very closely with Shikamaru."

"Wow! It is definitely an honor to meet you!" The girl bowed. "You work with Shikamaru-kun? Isn't he the greatest?" She turned to Kurenai to continue. "He was so nice to take Mirai on such short notice for me yesterday when my husband injured himself."

Temari couldn't help but feel alleviated as she continued to listen to the woman who apparently was _not_ Shikamaru's new girlfriend babble to Kurenai about her husband's hospital visit.

"You're so lucky your uncle Shikamaru loves his favorite girl so much," Miyu squatted down and cooed at Mirai. "I love you very much too, my cutie pie!" She said before planting a kiss on Mirai's head. She stood up to face the other two women. "I'm sorry but I have to go. I have to bring my husband the medicine for the gash on his hand. He's being such a baby about it! Bye, Kurenai-san! It was a pleasure to meet you, Temari-dono!"

Temari nodded at her and watched as the cheerful woman disappeared in the crowds. Relief washed over her, as did a wave of embarrassment. Apparently, both the nanny and Shikamaru had been talking to Mirai the other day. She wasn't exactly proud of the how strongly she reacted to entire situation either. It was extemely juvenile and she knew that she was above that.

After wrapping up her conversation with Kurenai and dropping the ramen off for Sakura, she made her way to the entrance where Shikamaru always waited for her. When she got there, she was greeted by his back as he leaned against the frame facing away from the village. It was as if nothing ever changed… except for the fact that she arrived a day earlier unannounced to make sure that he was doing alright.

' _But that's because I'm a good- no. A great friend,_ ' she convinced herself as she walked up behind him to tap his shoulder. She watched as he turned to look back at her, at first first in annoyance and then in surprise. He quickly spun around to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. After he confirmed that it was indeed her, he stared at her suspiciously.

"Where the hell did you come from?" He asked her.

"Sakura's."

"What?" He suddenly looked more confused.

"Sakura's," she repeated.

"No, I heard you." He grunted, rolling his eyes at her dry humor. "What were you doing there?"

"I would tell you, but people like Kakashi pay a lot of money for stories like that."

Shikamaru leered at her, carefully biting his lip to suppress a smirk. She may have been an annoying smartass, but she always managed to find a way to make him laugh. "Never mind," he sighed. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah."

They turned to walk down a straight path that lead to the Hokage's office as they've always done. Shikamaru had his hands buried in his pockets with an unamused expression and Temari took long, confident strides as if she owned the streets. No one would have guessed that they were ever anything more than colleagues.

"Anything new with you?" He finally asked her.

"Maybe," she replied. "I'll tell you about it later. Kind of confidential." She didn't want to risk the chance of anyone finding out that she was onto the suspicious men back in her village.

Shikamaru blinked at her before finally shrugging. "If you say so."

"And you?"

"Nothing really," he sighed. "A lot of work, but not enough sleep."

"You sound like a parent."

He turned to her and smirked, "Funny you should say that…"

Temari scoffed as they finally reached the office. Upon ascending the stairs, the pair found Ino happily chattering while Kakashi stood there and nodded as she spoke. The two of them stopped and looked at Shikamaru and Temari when they finally noticed their presence.

"Good afternoon, Hoka-" Temari began to greet Kakashi, but was immediately cut off by a very furious Ino.

"Excuse me!" She commanded as she marched up to Temari. "How are you come into town and have drinks with Sakura? _Without me_?!"

"Uh," Temari began almost nervously. "I asked her about you and she said you were on a date with Sai."

"Still!"

"You want me to drop in on your date next time?" Temari cocked an eyebrow at her.

Ino glared back at the Suna kunoichi before turning around to fold her arms in frustration. "No..."

"Well then?"

"Well then!" Ino spun around on her heel until her turquoise eyes met a pair of teal ones. "You owe me a round!"

Temari stared back at her until a smile finally appeared on her face. "Sure."

"Great, you can stay for Tanabata tonight then!"

"Tanabata? Is that what's all the decorations are for?" She asked the other blonde.

"Yes!"

"What are you celebrating?"

"Oh! It's such a sweet legend! It's about a…" Ino's voice began to trail off. Her eyes nervously danced between Shikamaru and Temari. Telling Temari that Tanabata celebrated the day where two deities, separated by distance, got to meet would scare her off given her situation with Shikamaru. Temari and Shikamaru were currently sharing the same faith as the two fabled lovers. "It's to celebrated Orihime and Hikoboshi," she nervously answered.

"Who?"

"No matter," Ino replied. "You owe me one so you're going to stay and celebrate with us!"

"I was going to leave after the meeting…" Temari explained quietly.

"About that, Temari…" Kakashi suddenly interrupted. "It appears that a group of Konoha civilians were ambushed by bandits a town over. I'm heading there with the medic team and the Anbu unit to investigate it. I apologize, but I would have to push our meeting back until next week. I understand that it was not an easy journey for you to get here, and will completely compensate for your entire stay if you'd like to grace our village with your presence until then," he said to her apologetically.

"Ah," Temari said softly. "Not to worry. I understand that these things happen. I'll just return once you have everything situated."

"Nonsense!" Ino snapped as she reached over to grab Temari by her shoulders. "You just got offered an all inclusive stay here and you owe me one! Besides, it takes _six_ days for you to get here and back. Would you really prefer to spend the _entire week_ walking between our villages?!"

"Uh, well." Temari began. The truth was that she detested the idea of wasting so much time doing practically nothing but walking, but she already didn't like the emotional roller coaster she's been on just in the past twenty-four hours because of the lazy shinobi that was quietly standing beside her. "I just don't think-"

"Don't think what?!" Ino interrupted her. "Face it, the only reason that you would not accept the offer is if you actually hate us. You don't hate us, do you?"

"Actually…" She sarcastic replied.

"Temari!" Ino grunted at her.

Temari was caught. She really didn't have a good excuse to get out of the town. No one in their right mind would spend three days traveling home just to spend another three days traveling back. "Fine."

"Great!" Ino clasped her hands together and beamed.

"I'm terribly sorry again, Temari." Kakashi apologized. "I do hope that you enjoy the festival though. I'm sure your friends here will have no trouble entertaining you," he smiled at her from under his mask.

' _Friends…'_ She thought to herself. _'I have… friends here.'_

After Kakashi left to address the bandit situation, Ino turned to Temari and grinned. "Great, I have the perfect yukata to give to you as well! It's too dark for my tones, but I'm sure it'll look great against your tanned skin."

"Oh, I'll be alright. I'm pretty much wearing one anyway."

"Your manners are getting annoying," Ino groaned.

Temari narrowed her eyes at Ino. She couldn't help but to admire her sass and quite enjoyed the fact that Ino wasn't timid around her the way most of the girls back in Suna would have been.

"Shikamaru," Ino called and turned to him. "I'll take her back to my place and we'll meet you and Choji at the gazebo. The usual time, yeah?"

"Whatever," Shikamaru sighed as he laced his fingers behind his head.

Ino rolled her eyes and reached for Temari's wrist, "Let's go!"

Shikamaru kept his eyes closed until the footsteps disappeared down the stairs. Once they were out of his sight, he stared at the clouds through a nearby window. He yawned, almost regretting that he agreed to babysit Mirai. She had kept him up all night because she wanted to play and refused to sleep. As if that wasn't already troublesome, the day had been nothing but weird so far. First, Temari arrived to meet him from _inside_ the village, and then he found out that she had met up with Sakura the night prior. That was definitely out of the ordinary for her.

Knowing that he had to meet her again for the first time in a month already had him uneasy, but now she's going to stay in Konoha for a week. Again. Ino continued to add to the awkwardness by inviting her to join them for the Tanabata festival.

'Why are you so worked up?' He scolded himself. 'You were friends once before; this should be easy for you.'

But it wasn't, and he wasn't ignorant enough to pretend that it was.

'How troublesome…'

* * *

HAHAHA Did you guys hate me there for a second?

DID I NOT TELL YOU THIS WAS GOING TO BE AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER?! AND we're not even halfway through the story.

I really wanted to respond to some of your guys' comments but it's been really shitty at work so I haven't had the time or creativity. Please do know that I read every review and I really love the support.

I'm sorry for the messy chapter but I wrote it over a span of 6-8 days so if the writing starts to feel different between the scenes, well. You know why! I will fix it later~

Sorry lovelies, I'm falling asleep and wrote the last bit with one eye open. Hope you enjoyed it.


	16. Privacy

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 **Privacy**

Temari shifted her weight around as she tried her best to get comfortable in the attire Ino had provided for her. The yukata was just a few shades darker than crimson. It had very subtle gold embroidery keeping the robe from looking too excessive, something Temari was thankful for. The obi around her waist was a purple so deep that it was almost black. She was always fond of the various shades of reds, but often avoided them as they were always muted by all the sand in her village. Her hair was pulled into a loose bun that sat to bottom right of her head and she had pulled a few stands of her bangs to let them fall around her face. While her pigtails were more efficient for battle, she found them a little too juvenile for formal wear.

Her toned legs curled underneath her as she waited for Ino to finish changing. She wasn't sure what it was, but the weight of the garment caused her lungs feel constricted and made hard for her to breathe. The unsettling feeling in her stomach was constrained by her elaborate outfit despite the fact that she was no stranger to wearing a yukata. The black robe she opted for was based off them, with the only difference being the tailored sleeves that allowed her to easily move in combat. She was even used to the large obi as she personally chose to tie hers into a large ribbon. The yukata hugging her body really was not that much heavier than her usual attire.

Frustrated, she felt her brows coming together when she finally allowed herself to accept the truth: she was nervous. Temari rolled her eyes are angrily stared into space, cursing herself for not being able to feel indifferent about seeing him. She longed for the days when her presence intimidated him, not the other way around.

"I'm ready!" Ino announced as she emerged from the other room. She twirled around to show Temari her kimono. It was a shade of yellow that resembled the sunrise. Like Temari's kimono, it was accented by metallic gold embroidery. It wasn't dark enough to cause the bright color to look dull, but also not light enough to wash out the platinum of her hair. The obi that tied it together was a dark orange with a pattern of white leaves on it.

"Well… What do you think?" Ino asked when Temari didn't say anything.

In truth, Temari was actually quite surprised. She thought Ino would have been predictable by choosing a pink or purple kimono. Perhaps even blue, which she would have assumed the reason being that it would have brought out her eyes. "How unconventional of you," she replied.

"What does that mean?"

"I thought you would have picked something really… _girly_. The yellow is very eccentric. I like it."

Ino seemed to be very pleased with her answer as a big smile appeared on her face. "C'mon, lets go!"

* * *

Shikamaru glared at the road in front of them as they made their way through the crowds. He couldn't believe that after everything he's been through, the hardest war he's ever had to fight was the one going on currently raging on inside him. The urge to stare at Temari since they met up was proving to be nothing short of a challenge. He knew that was going to be an issue before he ever saw her. He wanted to look for anything that might have changed since he last examined her body between his sheets, and was hoping to be able to figure out her thoughts from the expressions that always found their way to her face. She was always easy to read, at least to him. It didn't help at all that she currently looked stunning. Now he's terrified to even glance at her, knowing fully well that he'll probably end up staring at her like an idiot. Once again, Ino had unintentionally made his life much more troublesome than it should have been.

When they finally found everyone else, Shikamaru lazily walked to a wall nearby to lean against it. He took a deep breath and crossed his arms, feeling the friction of his navy yukata. He looked down and pretended to adjust the brown obi as he went over his strategy to observe her while going unnoticed.

' _Don't look in her direction, but the ground a few paces below her so you don't get mistaken to staring at someone else either_.' He thought as he mentally prepared himself.

His eyes slowly roamed the floor until she came into his field of vision. Carefully, he stare at the space south west of her feet, occasionally glancing up to focus on her face. She was talking to Naruto who was probably looking for Gaara, as per usual. A few of his other friends also found their way to her to ask the other usual questions s like why she's in town and for how long. He secretly smiled to himself. Temari wasn't an introvert, but she hated repeating herself again and again. Still, she appeared to answered them without any grimace. She once told him that like her brother, she was still learning to appreciate the sudden interest in her life that came from having friendly relations.

Once all of their friends finally arrived, the group moved on to grab some snacks and drinks. Shikamaru watched as they ate and chatted happily while trying to listen to Kiba talk about some crazy stunt he did with Akamaru. When everyone felt content, they proceeded to get up to make their way towards the difference games. Shikamaru took out a cigarette and waved it to Ino and Choji, letting them know he'd catch up with them after he take a smoke break.

Kiba caught a whiff of the tobacco and began to make his way to his friend when Temari caught his eye, causing him to halt mid-step. He watched as she followed him and smirked. 'Of course,' he thought to himself.

Shikamaru lit his cigarette once he was far away enough from the crowd. He exhaled the smoke as he rested he back on the wall that encased the festival. He thought about how Temari used to be around him before anything happened between them. They would always talk to each other about something interesting while everyone else mindlessly babble about some nonsense drama. Now they just politely avoid each other.

"Still smoking those?"

Shikamaru felt his body stiffened when he recognized her voice. He turned to look at her. "What?" He managed to mutter quietly. He heard what she said. He just didn't know how to response.

"You heard me." She sneered at him as if she had read his mind.

Shikamaru leered at her as she cockily smiled at him. He then close his eyes and chuckle to himself. She always was a fire cracker. "You mean you don't anymore?" He asked.

"I try not to."

"Are you successful?"

"I have been since the last time I saw you, so… Yes." She said as she took the place next to him against the wall.

"Tch. Are you saying it's my fault?" It was his turn to smirk at her now.

"Not all the time." She playfully answered and smiled when he shot her another look.

Shikamaru continued to stare at her for a few seconds before he slowly closed his eyes again and sigh. "How troublesome," he groaned. Still, small smile found its way on his lips again. Their witty banter was very much missed by him.

" _You're_ trouble." She jabbed back at him. ' _Fuck_ ,' she cursed at herself. Her intention was to recreate their dynamic from before anything every happened, not _flirt_ with him. Although, to her credit, that fine line was muddled long ago when they were still adolescences.

His eyes found themselves on her again at that remark.

"Fine," he declared and took another drag. As he exhaled, he handed her the cigarette.

"What?" She asked, looking between him and the cigarette.

"Might as well be 'trouble' if you're going to accuse me of such," he smirked at her again. He watched for her reaction, appreciating the fact that he could finally look directly at her for the first time that night. When Temari continued to stare at him quietly, he started to grow nervous.

' _Was that too aggressive?_ ' He thought as he frantically tried to analyze the situation. It was _her_ who initiated this entire ordeal, wasn't it? Trying to justify his behavior, he tried to pin the blame on her but realized how immature that made him feel. Silence is the ultimate weapon in psychological warfare, and she was utilizing it well. He felt his heart jump when she leaned in enough so that he could smell the sake on her lips.

Temari had felt an odd presence around since she was on Ino's property. It followed her to the gazebo and through the festival. Now that she was away from all the commotion, she was sure she was being followed. She wondered if they've been following her the entire time she's been here. Wanting to create a diversion, she pretended to flirt with Shikamaru. At least, that's what she tried convinced herself of anyway.

She stepped into him until she could smell the tobacco on his clothes. She whispered to him, "We're… Well, _I'm_ being watched…" They were so close that her body brushed against his with every word she spoke.

That snapped his attention out of his racing thoughts. Despite the serious tone in her voice, he couldn't help but feel a little intrigued about her approach. Deciding to play along with her game, he brought his lips to her ear and whispered, "By who?"

Temari flinch and tried to suppress the shiver that shot down her spine from the sensation of his breath on her ear and hated herself for it. She hated him even more. He knew what he was doing. How dare he try to mess with her when she was trying to tell him something? Flustered, she wanted to get mad at him, but she couldn't deny the fact that she made the first move. She wouldn't have whispered to anyone else the way she did with him.

His breath grazed over her ear again when a quiet laugh came from his lips, causing her to stiffen up. She initially wanted to lure him away from whoever was stalking her, but she now wasn't sure if being isolated with him was such a good idea. However, she also didn't want to deal with whoever's spying on her by herself. She had a feeling that it had something to do with the new guests in her village and wanted to tell him what was going on.

Temari leaned closer until her cheek brushed against his, "Is there somewhere can we talk privately?"

Shikamaru stared at her when she stepped back to wait for his answer. There was no doubt in his mind that she did have something important to tell him. However, there was also no denying the sexual tension from their exchange just now. He wasn't sure of what to expect. As impulsive and she was, Temari had the ability to compose herself when serious matters were at hand. This could go any direction as far as he was concerned.

"Yeah," he answered as he began to lead her towards the Nara Forest.

* * *

Hello! I am not dead! I've gotten your reviews and messages and am so, so, sorry. I understand the frustrations that comes with unfinished fanfics.

In the time that I was inactive, I've moved and went back to school in another city! Lots of changes. I found myself a boy who was taking up whatever remains of my free time. Ironically, we resemble ShikaTema. We're not as cool as my favorite couple, obviously. He's just brilliant, yet aloof and sarcastic. I'm kind of combative and hot tempered. That's... really the extent. I never meant to say that I AM Temari. I'm nowhere as interesting or important... . . It just the dynamic of our relationship. He's cool as a cucumber and I... am not. I actually have ideas for a new fanfic based on our own experience. I might start working on those.

I have some ideas for the next few chapters so hopefully I can find some time to get the out to you!

So... I leave you with a cliff hanger. Kind of.


	17. Small Talk

**0_0 HELLLLOOO MY DARLINGS.**

 **Thank you for asking about my well-being. That's very sweet.**

 **I AM NOT DEAD. I AM OKAY.**

 **You see, 2018 was a rough year for me and writing was my escape… Now, I am very happy with a lot of goals I'm pursuing! That's why I've been inactive. I am doing wonderful…**

 **BUT THAT'S NOT FAIR TO YOU.**

 **My 2019 resolution is to write a few hundred words a week so that way… you'll get updates sooner than every… several… months. *gulps* It's very embarrassing. I have to reread my chapters to remember where I left off.**

 **Lucky for the both of us… I had half of this chapter already written up.**

 **Enjoy. x3**

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"So what else do you do when you're not working nowadays?" Temari asked him as they made their way down the illuminated path towards the Nara forest.

She took in the colorful displays that decorated the village, allowing the lights coming from the lanterns to dance in the reflection of her eyes. As an attempt to brush off the constant small talk, she added, "Besides napping marathons?"

"Tch," Shikamaru scoffed, thought he did find relief in her sarcastic humor.

She had asked about his mother and friends, in which he followed up with questions about her family and kin at home as well. The stiff conversation was starting cause tension in the air around them.

"I wish I had enough time to nap at all. There's so much paperwork to do, especially since we're rebuilding everything."

"Same," she sighed. "I'm fortunate that training is included in my duties as Gaara's body guard. I think I'd go mad if I had to be crammed in an office all day like you."

"I train everyday," he retorted as his hands found their usual place behind his head.

"What?!" She nearly stopped dead in her tracks. " _You_?" She turned to look at him in astonishment.

"Don't act so surprised!" he shot back at her. He sighed and continued to explain, "I swear, Kiba suffers from some kind of hyperactivity disorder. The guy's always training or playing some kind of sport or simply mindlessly running around to break a sweat. He doesn't have a routine which is nice. It keeps things interesting. We do something different every day. Sometimes we train, sometimes we hike around the mountains. There are days where we just do some conditioning."

"Conditioning? You? As in running and lifting weights?" Temari asked again with genuine curiosity.

She finally allowed herself to inspect his body unapologetically, but the yukata he wore left nothing for her to imagine. She did notice that he was a little tanner than usual and the minor changes to his hands and forearms.

Shikamaru was always a technical and strategic fighter. She always took note of how her hands were always more calloused than his due to the difference between their combative styles. However, that was no longer the case. His hands now appeared more rugged than hers, and his forearms went from looking somewhat athletic to having quite a bit of definition.

"Well, good for you," she complimented him. It was followed shortly with a backhanded compliment, "It's reassuring to know that our allies aren't slacking."

Shikamaru couldn't resist the urge to roll his eyes and chuckled. He chose omit the fact that staying active kept her from wandering through his thoughts. Long weekends spent drinking with Kiba was another thing he decided on keeping to himself.

They finally approached the entrance to the tranquil forest. A deer immediately approached them as soon as they stepped into the trees. Temari recognized him. She's seen him there the few times Shikamaru had invited her.

"Rikimaru," Shikamaru said quietly. He brought his hand to the bridge of the deer's nose and leaned his head forward next to it. "There is someone following us. Lead them away if they enter the forest. If they are nearby, let me know."

The deer backed away from Shikamaru and rocked his head as if he were nodding back to him.

Temari watched them, admiring the complexity of Shikamaru's bond with the forest and the everything that resided there. She gazed at him until he turned around and nodded to her, signaling for her to follow him. She heard Rikimaru's hooves behind them, but he quickly took off in a different direction after a few minutes.

They finally reached a secluded area by the lake. Temari recognized that it was the place where she had share some of her secrets with him. The nostalgic feelings and memories distracted her, causing her to bump into him when he stopped abruptly to face her. A breath slipped past her lips as she looked up at him. Neither of them backed away from each other.

"What was it you need to tell me?" he asked her. It was almost a rhetorical question. They were now secluded in his forest. Whoever was stalking her was no longer there. He figured she could might as well tell him later.

All he cared about in that moment was the electrifying feeling that surged through him now that they were lightly pressed against each other. He observed the way her breath became short and rapid as her piercing eyes soften into a timid expression that made her resemble a gentle doe. He knew her all too well. He knew that lust has already overtook her.

Temari suddenly felt as if her thoughts were running laps in her head. The details of her potential stalker were slowly slipping away as she continued to breathe in his scent. The smell of pine, sandalwood, and rain filled her nostrils despite the fact that there were none in sight on that warm summer night. She loved the way he smelled. He smelled like everything that was foreign in her country. It intoxicated her.

"I… uh…" was all she could muster.

"Yes, Temari?" he asked in a hushed tone.

She wanted to kick herself for her inability to formulate a proper sentence.

"Are you started to regret this?" He asked her in amusement.

"What?" She asked annoyingly, snapping out her trance. His question sobered her up. "Regret what?"

"Getting me alone," he answered as he inched his head towards her.

Gathering her composure, she playfully asked, "Why would you say that?"

There was no point in beating around the bush anymore. It was clear to both of them that they wanted the same thing.

He leaned down to further close the space between them, only stopping once he could feel her breath on his face. His eyes held her gaze as he spoke to her, "If this isn't what you want, we can stop."

Her mind at this point was screaming at her for wanting to giving in to the indulgence. She scolded herself for not having better self-control, but the fact that she knew it wasn't right made it more tantalizing for her. It made her want it even more.

He didn't give her a chance to answer.

Temari felt his hands around her face as he started to kiss her aggressively. They eventually found themselves around her waist as he pulled her into a tight embrace. Her hands found their way to the lapel of his yukata to grab the fabric in her fists so that she could pull herself closer to him.

A wave of relief and satisfaction washed over Shikamaru when he felt her hands on him. His other hand found the back of her neck to hold her in place as he kissed her hungrily.

The hand around her waist slowly traveled under her bun and began to claw at the hair close to her scalp. A gasp escaped her lips when he yanked her head back and traced her ear with his lips.

Like a reflex, she pulled him closer and arched her body into him as she began to squirm every time she felt him breathe heavily against her skin. He smiled against her ear and waited for her to relax before bringing his teeth to the bottom of her neck to sink his teeth in. A satisfied smile crept on his lips when he felt how she released the grips on his lapel in order and dug her nails into his back.

His teeth released her skin so that his lips could find hers again. As they kissed, his hands began tearing off the garment that hid her body from him. He felt her hands hastily doing the same. Once the floor was littered with layers of fine silk, he began to trace his lips down her abdomen.

"No," she demanded once he was hovered above her navel.

'Don't stop. Not now…' he pleaded in his mind, but he obeyed her command none the less. His eyes found their ways to hers, displaying a mix of concern and confusion.

However, the lust remained in her eyes when she went to sit up. She shoved him gently until he fell over his side and onto his back. He felt his heart pounding harder as she mounted him and kissed him again.

When they broke away, he watched as her lips mimicked his and by leaving a trail of kisses down his torso. When she reached just right below his hips, she stopped to look up at him. A jolt of electricity shot through his body when her eyes caught his. She held the gaze for a moment before continuing.

The tip of her tongue found the base of his shaft and gently worked up towards the tip. Once she got to the top, she began to diligently zigzag it back down only to repeat the pattern all over again.

"Fuck…" Shikamaru cursed in ecstasy. His eyes shut out the world as his head fell back onto the soft grass underneath him. He felt like an addict who finally got his hands on the substance he'd been yearning for after dealing with months of withdrawal. He wanted to savor everything, but found it rather difficult. It's been too long and he wanted all of her already.

His use of profanity caused her to smile secretly in satisfaction. He was a man of many words, but she knew how to work him so that he couldn't focus on anything else but her.

When she reached the base of his erection again, she removed her tongue and hovered her lips just enough so that they'd only graze his skin. She let out a long, heavy breath as she gradually moved back up to the tip.

Shikamaru couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed her arm and yanked her up until she sat on his lap again.

"Hey." She pouted. "I wasn't done."

"I want you." He declared. "Now."

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 **Terrible place to leave off but I hit some writer's block! I'm still very timid about writing the lemon scenes. Hahaha…**

 **But hey, an update is an update… right? I will try to do better next time!**

 **Lots of love! Be back sooner than last time…**


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